Fight for a life
by ProFfeSseR
Summary: Post 3.11 - Another second change. Can things between Charlotte and Cooper be fixed when something happens to her that makes him rethink his feelings? Multi-chapter fic.
1. Chapter 1

_A/N: This story follows episode 3.11 Another second chance. When I wrote Making things right, things were still easy to fix. At this point it won't be so easy to fix things anymore. But I've given it a lot of thought and thought, what if something was to happen with Charlotte which makes Cooper rethink his feelings. Is he willing to change his opinion and can things be fixed then? That's what this multiple-chapter story is about. _

**Chapter 1 - A difficult evening**

_**8:45 pm - Outside Reggie's bar **_

Why couldn't she have just said 'no'? Why did she have to say that it didn't matter anymore now, and just walk out, leaving him wondering? Why did she make him feel as if it were all his fault? Because he tried. He fell in love with her and he tried his best to make it work. He forgave her when she cheated on him. He took care of her when her father died, even though he was really mad at her at the time. And then she dares to say that he didn't love her?

Cooper Freedman entered a bar. He was feeling so mad right now, that he needed a drink to calm himself. To try and forget about her. He couldn't go home anyway because she most likely was there getting rid of her stuff. So that she was all out of his life when he got home. Whenever that was.

He entered a bar called Reggie's. He'd never been there before but it was in an area where he had the least chance to run into her. Just in case.

There was quite a crowd in the bar. At least people his own age and not a bar filled with teens. That only made him feel old. He went to the bar and ordered a beer. He looked around when he emptied his glass, and immediately ordered another.

It had been a while since he went to a bar all by himself. He usually went with her. Or with Pete or Sam. But when he saw a woman he liked at the other side of the bar he slowly started to forget about his sorrow. Taking another sip of his beer, he found his way towards her.

"You seem a bit lonely." He tried, as he sat down on the stool next to her.

"I'm waiting for a friend." She replied. Trying to let him know she wasn't interested.

"So am I. Do you mind if I wait here with you?" He knew she was trying to blow him off, but tonight he wasn't ready for that. If someone would show up, he could always leave.

"It's a public place so I can't forbid it." She said, taking in the man next to her. "Are you having a bad night?"

"Yeah kind off." He replied, while emptying his glass.

"Wanna talk about it?" She said as she took a sip of her own drink.

"Not really. I just want to forget about it. Can I get you another drink?" He said, while trying to make contact with the bartender.

"A martini please." She said. "So what's your name?"

"Cooper. And yours?"

"Amber."

"Nice to meet you Amber." He finally made contact with the bartender and ordered their drinks.

When they were placed in front of them he asked. "Who are you waiting for?"

"A friend of mine. But she's always running late."

"I know how that feels." He replied, although he wasn't really waiting for someone.

"But it's nice to have good company while I'm waiting. Tell me, what are you doing out here without your girlfriend. Or is it her you're waiting for?"

He suddenly started to feel mad again. But he took a few breaths to calm himself and replied. "I'm a single guy. You?"

"Also single."

"Aren't I lucky then." He said, and forced a smile.

"Who said anything about getting lucky?" She replied, while showing him a real smile.

_**9:07 pm - St. Ambrose Hospital**_

Charlotte King had trouble focusing during the staff meeting. All she wanted was to get out of there and check into a hotel and finally forget all about today. But her staff members couldn't seem to agree on anything tonight. There were long discussions about every subject brought into the meeting and hardly any decisions were made.

They were currently having a discussion about adding to the ICU ward. Which never really was an option so she started asking herself why they were discussing this subject for the past 30 minutes. Finally finding enough energy to get things over with she said. "Listen people, I have no idea how we got to this subject but Dr. Raynord was talking about a new research lab on the fifth floor. This has absolutely nothing to do with our intensive care unit, which is the most modern facility in this area. There are enough beds in this hospital and adding to our ICU would mean adding more medium care units for which there just isn't enough space.

Which brings us back to the original discussion. Dr. Raynord, why is this research lab so important to you?"

"Because I need more modern equipment for my cancer treatment center. There is this big spectrometer which will allow me to separate DNA on a molecular level and…"

Charlotte cut him off. "Six months ago we bought a new spectrometer which you said would allow you to do the same thing. You can't come running in here every time a new machine shows up on the market. You will do with the equipment you have, and if you won't have any successes in the next 12 months, we will have a private discussion on whether there still is a position for you here in the hospital. Understood?"

Dr. Raynord nodded. "I hear you loud and clear."

"Good, which brings us to the last discussion on the agenda. Housekeeping wants more money and have threatened to go on strike if we won't grant them what they want."

Everyone started talking through each other again and Charlotte stood up, hitting her hand on the table.

"This meeting has gone on long enough. You're all acting like kindergarten children who are afraid they won't be heard. And to tell you the truth I'm done with that. It actually has been 2 years since the housekeeping staff got a raise so we will grant them a 2% raise so they will actually keep this hospitals clean. A strike would be a disaster for this hospital. Not only would it ruin this hospital's good name, but we can't run a hospital that isn't clean. And hiring an external company to do the cleaning during a strike would only cost this hospital more. The only question is from which budget the money will come. And of course I've given this great thought. None of you can work in a hospital that isn't clean so I will take 1% out of each of your budgets. I know this is not what you all hoped for, but it's the way it is.

With that taken care off, this meeting is over. I'll see you all next week."

She picked up her papers, put them in her briefcase and left the room, leaving behind her stunned staff members. Finally one of them got up and ran after Charlotte. "Dr. King you can't be serious."

"The meeting is over dr. Finch." Charlotte replied, without stopping her pace.

"Are you alright?" Dr. Finch asked. "You seemed a bit off tonight."

"That's none of your business. Now if you don't mind I really want to go home." Her pace suddenly slowed down as she realized there was no home for her anymore. Dr. Finch noticed her change in pace as well.

"Please, I'm not asking as a staff member whose budget just got cut. I'm trying to be a friend here."

Charlotte stopped and looked at the doctor next to her. "I respect that. But it's nothing you should worry about. I just need a bath and a good night sleep and then I'll be fine. I promise I will take a good look into the budgets and see if there's something I can do. But I really have to make this deal with housekeeping."

"I understand."

"Thank you." Charlotte said, and with that she walked towards her office to get her stuff.

_**9:23 pm – Reggie's bar**_

"So you went up there, introduced yourself and asked him why the heck he was wearing yellow pants?" Cooper asked, impressed.

Amber laughed. "You should have seen the look on his face. He looked at me, stunned, then looked down at his pants and started laughing. He said it was the most interesting question he heard in weeks."

"What else happened?"

"Nothing really. I just realized he was a normal guy, just like you. So I said. 'Good luck with your band. If I ever get my hands on some tickets I will come to see you. If only you promise you'll never go shopping by yourself again.' He promised me he'd take someone else and toss these pants in the trash as soon as he got home."

"So did you ever went to one of his concerts?"

"Going next week."

Cooper smiled. "My glass is empty again. How did that happen?"

She laughed. "Mine's empty already again too. But my friend is now an hour and a half late and I promised myself last time that happened, that I would leave before she does shows up. So maybe I can guilt her into showing up in time next time."

"So we'll go for a walk?" He asked. Not ready to call it a night. And not feeling like drinking alone anymore.

"Sure. I live 10 blocks from here. You can walk me home."

"Sounds good." Cooper said, while he got of the stool and put his coat on.

_**9:54 pm - West Pico Boulevard**_

Charlotte pulled her suitcase with clothes behind her, as she slowly made her way down West Pico Boulevard. She got the most important things from Cooper's apartment before the staff meeting because she was least likely to run into him then. She would have to go there in a few days to pick up her pieces of furniture. But when they finally moved in together she gave her own house up. So it would take a few days to find a new place.

For now she called ahead and booked herself a room at the Sheraton Hotel in this street. She decided to walk all the way from the hospital to try and clear her mind. It was an almost 30 minute walk but she was getting closer to the hotel now. She could see it at the other side of the street and walked towards the nearest traffic light to cross. When the light jumped to green she started walking, not paying attention to the traffic. She heard someone yelling "Watch out!" But she couldn't even respond when the world suddenly went black around her.

T.B.C.


	2. Chapter 2

_A/N: Thank you all for your amazing reviews. I'm touched by all of you who take the time to say something about the first chapter. Sorry about the cliffhanger ;) Here's the next chapter!_

**Chapter 2 - A call for life**

_**11:34 pm – Hacienda Heights**_

"I totally forgot that you were waiting for someone as well at that bar." Amber suddenly realized. She stopped in the middle of the street, looking at Cooper. They had been walking for almost an hour and a half now. She told him it wasn't that far, but they had taken a longer walk through the park. Trying to sober up a little before they got to her apartment.

"To be honest, I wasn't actually waiting for someone. I just thought it was a good excuse to sit next to you."

"So you lied to me." She said, faking hurt.

"What can I say." He said with a smile. _'You lied. Why did you lie? I just wanna know why.'_ Cooper forced those thoughts out of his mind. This wasn't the same.

"What's wrong?" Amber asked, noticing his change in state.

"Nothing. I just had to think about something. Let's forget about it. I'm sorry I lied to you."

"It's okay. It would have been a boring night if you hadn't showed up. At least now I have something to throw in Dena's face."

"Good." Cooper smiled. "So are we getting closer yet?"

"We're almost there." I can actually see my building. Right there." She said, pointing in the direction of a big apartment building.

"Good. Because my feet are starting to ache." Cooper said. Feigning hurt.

"Oh you're such a baby." Amber smiled, slapping his shoulder. "Come on, keep moving."

"Yes ma'am." He said, and picked up their earlier pace.

"So, do you think you want to come up for a cup of coffee?" Amber asked, when they were really close.

"I'd like that. I haven't seen a cab in a while so I need some energy to walk the entire way back."

Amber smiled. "Maybe I can call you one later. But you won't need one for a while."

"Sounds great." He said and grabbed her hand. "Come on, just a few more feet."

Just when Amber was opening the door to her apartment Cooper's cell phone started ringing. He took it out off his pocket and checked the number. 'St. Ambrose.' He wasn't on call so why were they calling him at this hour? There must be something wrong with one of his patients. "I'm sorry I have to take this."

"No problem." Amber replied. "I'll start that coffee."

"Freedman." Cooper said, when he answered to phone.

"Dr. Freedman, this is dr. Walker from St. Ambrose."

"Is something wrong with one of my patients?" He couldn't place the name Walker. Wasn't someone he worked with.

"No, it's not one of your patients. I'm sorry to tell you this, but Charlotte King has been in an accident. She…"

"What?" Cooper said, suddenly shocked. "How is she? What happened?"

"Witnesses say a guy in a BMW ran a red light and she didn't noticed him. So he hit her, driving approximately 40 miles an hour. A total body CT scan showed a subdural hemorrhage in her brain which the neurosurgeon is taking care of right now. She also had a pneumothorax on the right side for which we inserted a chest tube. She has multiple rib fracture, a fractured wrist and a fractured femur."

Cooper sat down, trying to take in what dr. Walker was telling him. "What are her chances?"

"That's hard to tell at this time. But it's a neuro trauma and it could go either way. I would advice you to come here right away. They will take her to the ICU after surgery and we'll have to go from there. But we need you here, just in case…"

"Just in case decisions have to be made." Cooper added and he could hear dr. Walker sigh on the other side of the line.

"Just be careful on your way here. Because you won't help your girlfriend if you get hurt yourself."

That's when he realized why they called him. "Am I listed as her emergency contact?" Cooper asked.

"Yes. Besides she's the chief of staff of this hospital. So they know the two of you have been dating. Do you think there's anyone else we should call?"

"She has two brothers and a mother. But they live in the south. I'm not sure if she wants them to know anyway."

"You'll have to make that decision for her. I'm going to the OR right now and see if there's something I can do. Just go to the ICU when you get here and ask if they can page me."

"I'll do that." Cooper said. He ended the call and slipped the phone back in his pocket. He closed his eyes for a few moments to compose himself and when he opened them, Amber was standing in front of them.

"Bad news?" She asked, taking in the shocked look on his face.

"My girlfriend got hit by car. She's hurt really bad."

"Your girlfriend?" She asked, shocked.

"Well, ex-girlfriend. We broke up today. But…"

"You'll have to go. I understand."

"I'm sorry I didn't tell you about her."

She shook her head. "If you broke up today there was nothing to tell. Besides it was pretty obvious you had a bad day. I'm just sorry that it got worse."

"Do you think you can call me that cab now?"

"Of course." She said, and walked to the phone immediately. When the phone call ended she said. "One will be here in about 5 minutes."

"Thank you. For everything." He said.

"No, thank you. I really had a great time tonight." She took a piece of paper and wrote down a number. "This is my phone number. Keep it, in case you ever want to see me again. Or just need someone to talk to."

"Thank you." He replied, while sliding the piece of paper in his pocket. "I'll wait outside now. I want to get to the hospital as soon as possible."

"I understand." She placed a kiss on his cheek. "I hope she'll be alright."

"Me too." He honestly replied. "Me too."

The taxi arrived just when Cooper exited the building. He jumped in. "St. Ambrose hospital please. And hurry."

"Alright sir." The cab driver said, and put the car into drive.

Cooper played with his fingers when he watched as the houses pass. The cab driver kept his promise and drove faster than speed limit. But it still wasn't fast enough for Cooper. Maybe if he hadn't forced this fight, then maybe she hadn't been at that street walk. Then maybe she'd be home safe right now.

Guilt entered his system more and more, the closer they got to the hospital. He was afraid to go inside later. Afraid that to find out that she didn't make it through surgery. Or afraid that her condition had gotten worse, and she had no chance to live. He knew he would never be able to forgive himself when that happened. Because even though he was still mad at her, and still believed he was right, this was the last thing he wanted.

**T.B.C.**


	3. Chapter 3

_A/N: Thanks everyone for your wonderful reviews. I'm glad to see there are a lot of people with me on the whole Charlotte/Cooper situation. And even more that you all like this story. Here's the next chapter. _

_**12:09 am – St. Ambrose hospital**_

Cooper entered St. Ambrose hospital and immediately took the elevator to the fifth floor where the intensive care unit was located. He looked around but didn't locate Charlotte anywhere behind the glass windows. So he decided to walk to the nurses station to ask about her condition, secretly praying that she was still alive.

"Can I help you?" One of the nurses asked when Cooper came into view.

"I'm dr. Freedman. I'm here to see Charlotte King. Did they already brought her in?"

She shook her head. "I'm afraid not. We did hear they have a patient in recovery who will be ready to be transferred here in the next hour. But I'm not sure if that's dr. King."

"Can you please page dr. Walker for me? He told me he would meet me here."

"Of course." The nurse grabbed a phone and paged dr. Walker. When he answered the page he told her he would be there right away. "Just take a seat sir. Dr. Walker will be here in a minute."

"Do you know anything about her condition?" Cooper asked, feeling not calm enough to sit down.

She shook her head. "I'm sorry. But dr. Walker is right there." She pointed towards the elevator doors.

Cooper turned to look at the man who was approaching. He had seen him before but never worked with him. Or even spoke to him.

"Hello I'm dr. Walker." The man said, shaking Cooper's hand.

"Cooper Freedman. How's Charlotte?"

"The surgery went well. She's in recovery right now."

"Can I see her?"

"They will transfer her here within the next fifteen minutes so it's better if you wait until she's settled in her room."

Cooper nodded, understanding. "Will she make it?" He asked, really needing to hear an answer.

"It's positive that she made it through surgery, and her vitals are stable. But she's in a coma. And as a doctor you know that it can go both ways. We'll just have to see if she makes it through the night. She has to wake up by herself. It could happen in a few hours, but it could also take days, or weeks. And it might never happen. A brain injury…"

Cooper didn't listen anymore. He realized that there was a chance she might not make it. And he had no idea how he had to go on with his life if she didn't.

"Dr. Freedman." Walker said, trying to get Cooper's attention again.

Cooper shook out of his thoughts. "I'm sorry, what did you say?"

"I said that it's important for you to stay positive. She's going to really need you the next few days. Have you thought about contacting her family?"

Cooper shook his head. "I'm still not sure if that's what she wants."

"Maybe you should consider calling a friend to be there for you. It's not easy where you're going through right now. You shouldn't be alone."

"Maybe you're right he said. I'll go outside to call someone. Which room will she be in later?"

"Number 7. They're getting everything ready for her now."

"Thank you." Cooper said. He took the stairs down, trying to figure out who he was going to call. But in the end there was only one person he could call.

"Hello?" He heard Violet's sleepy voice on the other side of the line.

"Vi, it's me."

"Cooper?" Violet sat up in bed. "Why are you calling at this hour? What's wrong?"

"Charlotte has been in an accident. She's in a coma and her condition is critical."

"What? What happened?"

"Someone ran a red light and hit her. She's hurt really bad Vi."

"Where are you?"

"St. Ambrose."

"I'll meet you there alright?"

"You don't have to. You need your sleep."

"No Cooper, you need me."

"They're taking her to the ICU now. Room 7."

"Alright. I'll be there in half an hour or so. I just have to put on some clothes."

"Sorry I woke you."

"Don't be Coop. I'm sorry this happened."

"Yeah me too." He said. He turned off his phone and slid it back in his pocket. Then he went back inside and found a coffee machine. He really needed a cup right now.

When he finished his coffee he slowly made his way up the stairs to the ICU. He knew he was stalling. He wanted to be sure Charlotte was ready in her room when he got there. And more so he was afraid of what he would see.

When he finally arrived at the ICU he ran into dr. Walker.

"Ah dr. Freedman. They have Charlotte all settled in her room. You can see her now if you want."

"I'd like that." Cooper said, as he turned around to walk to her room.

"Wait." Dr. Walker said, while placing a hand on Cooper's shoulder to stop him.

"What's wrong?" Cooper asked, suddenly worried.

"There will be lots of tubes…" Walker started but Cooper stopped him.

"I'm aware of that. In case you don't know I'm a doctor. I've seen patients in the ICU multiple times."

"I know." Dr. Walker said. "But have you ever seen someone you love in the ICU? Because there's an absolute difference there."

Cooper nodded. "I understand. But I know what to expect. Thank you."

"Then let's go." He said, following Cooper to Charlotte's room.

"Can I go in by myself?" Cooper asked. "I need to do this by myself."

"Of course. I'll be outside if you need me."

"Thank you." Cooper said. Then he took a deep sigh to find the courage to go inside. He stepped into the door opening and saw a slim figure in the bed. There was a big bandage around her head. A tube stuck out of her mouth that was attached to the ventilator. Her chest rose and fell slowly, in an even rhythm. On the left side of the bed was the underwater seal from the chest tube. It allowed air to escape from her chest cavity and prevented air from going back in. This way the collapsed lung could expand again. Her right wrist was covered with a cast. The part of her chest he could see was bruised, as well as her face. The rest of her body was covered, but he knew there would be bandage around her leg from the femur fracture. He now realized he forgot to ask if they fixed that as well. And if they made sure she wasn't bleeding anywhere else.

He took a few steps closer and his breath gasped, as he suddenly realized it was really her. He'd seen her sleeping form many times. From a distance he could still tell himself this was just some patient lying in this bed. Even though his patients were usually children. But now he came closer there was no doubt that this was indeed Charlotte King.

He sat down at the left side of her bed, carefully so he wouldn't kick the underwater seal standing next to the bed. He grabbed her left hand in his very careful. An iv was inserted at the top of her hand, and he noticed they inserted an arterial line in the back of her wrist. He brought her hand to his mouth, carefully so there wouldn't be any traction on one of the lines. He kissed her hand softy, then slowly placed it back on the bed.

"God Charlotte." He sighed and realized that his voice shook. It wasn't until then that he realized his eyes were wet with tears. Some man he was. He used his free hand to wipe away his tears and breathed slowly in and out, trying to get himself in control.

"I'm so sorry." He whispered when his voice was finally even. "I never wanted you to get hurt. And…." He knew that he hurt her today when he said all those things. He hurt her the past few weeks when he tried to shut her out of his life and made no effort to forgive her. It all seemed so silly now.

"Excuse me." He heard a voice and turned around. He saw an x-ray technician with a portable x-ray machine. "I have to take a chest x-ray. Do you mind waiting outside?"

Cooper shook his head. "Take your time."

He placed a kiss on her forehead before he left the room, and let the x-ray technician in together with the nurse he talked to earlier.

Dr. Walker was still outside as he'd promised. "Are you alright?" He asked, seeing the pain that showed in Cooper's eyes.

Cooper ignored the question. "Did they operate on her leg as well? Or did they just take care of the subdural bleed?"

"The neurosurgeon opened her skull and took away the blood cloth and controlled the bleeding. After that I operated on her leg and put a large pin in the bone so that would stop bleeding as well."

"Did you also do a laparotomy?" Cooper asked.

"The CT scan showed no bleedings in her abdomen so we didn't have to. The kidney on the right side looked slightly bruised on the CT images but we're monitoring her creatinine levels and that's normal. Also the urine coming from the catheter is clear. We want to do an ultrasound tomorrow morning to make sure it's not getting worse. But all her vital signs are stable so that's looking good. During the trauma screening we cleared her spine. No fractures, which is a miracle considering the impact of the crash. Our major concern is the brain injury. We're giving her antibiotics to prevent infections, medicine to prevent seizures and swelling of the brain, and of course the usual things as pain medication."

Cooper nodded. "Thank you for the information. Please keep me updated if anything changes."

"Of course I will. I think they're done with the chest x-ray if you want to go back in."

"I'd like that. Thank you." When doctor Walker wanted to walk away he suddenly thought of one more question. "Wait, can I ask you one more thing?"

"Of course." Dr. Walker replied, while facing Cooper again.

"Did they say where it happened? The accident?"

"West Pico Boulevard. Do you know the Shereton hotel there?"

Cooper nodded.

"It was right across from there."

"Thank you. I'll go back in to see her now then."

Just when Cooper wanted to walk back to Charlotte's room, a constant beeping sound could be heard coming from that direction. 'Heart failure.' Cooper thought, as his own heart almost stopped beating as well.

**T.B.C.**


	4. Chapter 4

_A/N: Once again thanks a lot for all your wonderful reviews. I do like your thoughts that the radiologist would find a baby in the ultrasound, but even though this chapter is about Cooper's talk with Violet and not about the ultrasound yet, I will tell you it won't happen that way. From a medical point of view it woudln't be good if she were pregnant with all the medicine they're giving her, the anestetics during the surgery, the pain medication and all the other medication they're giving to an ICU patient wouldn't be good for a foetus. So I just wouldn't do that to them, or a child. Hope you don't mind it won't go that way and still like this story. Please review to let me know what you think of this chapter._

**Chapter 4 - A new perspective**

_**01:12 am - ICU Unit St Ambrose hospital **_

Cooper felt like the time had stopped when everybody around him started moving and ran towards Charlotte's room. But it wasn't until they all entered room 8 that he realized that it wasn't Charlotte's heart that stopped beating, but another patient's. Relieve entered his system as he took a few deep breaths to calm himself.

"Cooper" He heard a voice behind him and he turned around to see who called his name.

"Violet." Cooper said, relieved, as he saw his best friend walking towards him.

Violet stopped in front of Cooper and looked at her friend. She saw the pain in his eyes. "Is that Charlotte?" She said, turning look at the room the doctors and nurses had disappeared in to.

He shook his head. "No. I thought for a moment it was, but no. She's in the room next to it."

"You want to go back in to see her?"

"If you don't mind." He said.

"Of course not."

They walked into Charlotte's room and he heard Violet gasp when she saw the state Charlotte was in. "How bad is it?" Violet asked, turning around to see Cooper.

Cooper sat down next to Charlotte again and took her hand in his. "I'm most worried about the subdural bleed. She's in a coma and has to wake up by herself. The doctor opened her skull and removed the cloth and took care of the bleeding. They also put a pin in her leg. And she has a pneumothorax, a bruised kidney and a fractured wrist. But that will heal. She just has to wake up. And then we have to wait and see if there's no permanent damage."

"From what I remember the risks in subdural bleeds are highest in infants and the elderly."

Cooper nodded. "But it's still brain trauma and you never know how that turns out."

Violet sighed. "You're right. But you have to stay positive Coop. She will be okay."

"I hope so. I will never forgive myself if she doesn't."

Violet looked confused. "How is this your fault?"

Cooper looked down as words from earlier that day entered his mind again. _´We are breaking up.' 'Coop, we're having a fight.' ' No, we're done. I'm done.'_ He remembered the look on her face when she tried to fight it. To tell him he couldn't decide this was over. Telling him it was just a fight and they could get past it. But he didn't believe. '_The problem is you're a sex toy I found on the internet. The problem is you're just a trashy little girl who's trying to please her death daddy. And I shouldn't have expected much from you. My bad.'_ He definitely remembered the pain in her eyes when he spoke those words. When he damaged things in such way they most likely can never be fixed again.

"Cooper?" Violet asked, taking Cooper's other hand in hers. "What happened?"

"I messed things up Vi. This is all my fault."

Violet looked at him, confused. "Did you ran her over?"

Cooper shook his head. "No. Not literally anyway."

Violet looked at Charlotte, and then back to Cooper. "Let's talk outside okay? We shouldn't have this conversation in here."

"You're probably right." Cooper said and stood up, placing a kiss on Charlotte's forehead and whispered "Don't go anywhere. I'll be right back."

"You want to go to the cafeteria?" Violet asked once they were outside.

"I don't think the cafeteria is open at this hour." Cooper replied, looking at his friend.

"Oh, yeah. You're probably right. I forgot it's almost 1.30."

"I'm sorry I woke you up." Cooper said but Violet shook her head.

"Don't be sorry Cooper. You definitely look like you need someone right now. And it's about time I start being your friend again."

"Don't say that. You're a great friend."

"I know. And so are you. But something has been going on with you and I haven't even tried to find out what it is. But it's going to change now."

"After everything that happened…"

But she silenced him. "Let's not talk about that now alright. Non of that matters now. We'll find somewhere else to talk."

"Let's just tell the nurses that we're going away for a while. I want them to page me if anything changes."

"Of course." Violet said and waited while Cooper talked to one of the nurses.

When he came back a little later he said "They said we can talk in the family room on the other side of the hallway. There's a coffee machine there that has good coffee. I could definitely use a cup."

"Me too." Violet said, and together they walked away.

They entered the family room and were pleased to see it empty. They went to the coffee machine and each took a cup before they sat down on the couch next to each other.

Violet waited for Cooper to start talking again, but when he didn't she asked "What were you talking about earlier Cooper? How is it your fault Charlotte is hurt?"

"Because we had a massive fight earlier and broke up. She was walking to a hotel because she had no other place to go. She must have not paid attention and someone ran a red light when she was crossing the street. If I hadn't broken up with her, non of this would have happened." The pain the guilt brought was obvious in his voice.

Violet looked at her friend. She was surprised about the break-up. She knew Cooper hadn't been able to forgive Charlotte and they were going through a rough time, but she thought Cooper would eventually get over it and things would be okay again. Like they always worked things out.

"Say something Violet." Cooper said, not able to take the silence. "You think it's my fault too."

Violet shook her head. "It's not your fault she got hit by a car Cooper…"

"But?" He asked, sensing there was more.

"I'm wondering what has been going on with you lately. This whole not being able to forgive her, that's so not you. You haven't been yourself. And I know I haven't been a good friend, but…." She was silence for a while, trying to figure out what to say.

"I don't like being lied to Violet. You know that."

She nodded. "I do know Coop. But something else has been bothering you. Something I guess has nothing to do with Charlotte. You're mad at yourself for something and you somehow blame it on her. I just don't know what it is."

He looked Violet in the eye. "You think so?"

"I know you Cooper. And I know that you love her. It's just, you've been so angry lately. And not only at Charlotte. It seems as if you're mad at the world. What is it? You can tell me."

Cooper sighed. "I don't know." He shook his head, trying to figure out what was bothering him. "I really don't know Violet."

"There's something. I know there is. Just tell me what you're thinking right now."

He sighed again, trying to find the courage to tell Violet what he was feeling. After a while he said "I don't think I'll ever be enough for her."

When Cooper didn't say more she asked "so you pushed her away?"

"Not on purpose, but subconsciously, yes I think I have."

"Why do you feel like you're not enough?" She asked, partially slipping in her professional role.

"Because she has everything I don't. I lived my life and never really thought about the future. I dated women I found in bars and on the internet. I bought expensive cars, took expensive trips and I never really saved money. Charlotte paid the 50.000 dollars I needed to buy Naomi out of the practice. After she moved into my apartment she demolished my bathroom, wanting us to put in a new one. But I didn't have the money to do so and she had to do it by herself. What kind of man am I, if I have my girlfriend paying those things for me?

When I was in jail, I asked her to bail me out. I asked her to took care of Evan when I couldn't, because I wasn't willing to tell where they were. And when they did found Evan and she found out the truth, I felt as if it were all her fault. But all she did was what I asked her to, and took care of the boy. He's the one who lied. Not her.

But during all that time I thought she wanted to marry me. But I now believe she never intended to do that."

"Why would you say that Cooper? She obviously loved you."

"I doubt that. What did she do to show me that she loves me?"

"Besides giving you the money when you didn't have it?"

He nodded. Thinking that she just used her money to buy him.

"Do you know why Addison told the police where they could find Evan and his father?" Violet asked and Cooper shook his head. "Because when we all went to the office after we left the courtroom, she found Charlotte crying in her office because they beat you up. Her heart broke when she saw what you looked like Cooper. And she was willing to break the law for you. Addison didn't think Charlotte could make a genuine decision in the state she was in, so she did it for her."

"She cried?" Cooper asked, obviously not knowing that happened.

Violet nodded. "She's not as tough as she may seem."

A small smile appeared on Cooper's face, but disappeared again when he remembered the state Charlotte was in now. "I hope you're wrong about that. Because she has to fight real hard."

"And she will. Because she fights for the things she believes in. I know people like her Cooper. They had a tough life. Had to fight hard to get to the place they're in and had little people who loved them. In a way, you're very much alike because she tried to push you away at first. But when she realized that you were in for real, she opened up and let you in. And tried to take care of you in the ways she knows best."

"Then why didn't she tell me the truth about her marriage?"

"Something must have happened. Something bad. And she's not willing to go back to that time in her life. Because it most likely hurts too much."

"But why did she tell me about the marriage then?" Cooper asked, still not understanding any of it.

"I think she wanted to be honest to you. You just need to be patient. Maybe one day she is willing to tell you. And maybe she never will. Everyone has something they pushed away because it's too painful to talk about."

"Do you think we can work things out? If she gets out of here?"

Violet nodded. "If you want to work on it, I think she will forgive you for that fight."

"I said really horrible things to her Violet. I wouldn't forgive me if I were her."

"You'll have to try. You have time to figure out what it is you want now Cooper. Are you here because you feel guilty about what happened, or because you love her?"

He didn't have to think about an answer to that question for even a split second. "Because I love her. And it's breaking my heart to know how badly she's hurt."

"That's all you need to know."

He forced a smile. "Thanks Violet. I really needed some perspective."

"I'm sorry I didn't gave it to you sooner."

He shook his head. "I'm more sorry that I haven't been there for you in a way I could have been. I've been too busy with myself and my problems to see how everyone I love was feeling. But I don't want to be the person I've been the past few months. I want to be the man I was before."

"He's still in there." She said, placing a hand on his chest. "All you need to do is let him out."

"That's what I'm going to do." He said, with determination. "I'm going to be there for you. And I'm going to be there for her. And we're all going to be okay."

**T.B.C.**


	5. Chapter 5

_A/N: Once again thank you all for your wonderful words. This chapter comes one day later as planned, but I hope you don't mind. Please R&R. _

**9:36 am – St. Ambrose Hospital**

After Cooper talked to Violet he sat with Charlotte for almost an hour before he asked the nurses if there was a place where he could sleep for a few hours. They told him there were multiple family rooms and there was one available for him if he wanted to use it.

It was a restless night for him. He kept waking up every 15 minutes or so and turned around in the bed most of the night, but he did feel better when he finally got up that morning. The nurses provided him with breakfast and told him there was a bathroom he could use if he wanted a shower.

It wasn't until then that he realized he smelled like a bar and suddenly felt disgusting. He went out with another girl, while Charlotte got hit by that car. He felt in his pocket and found the piece of paper with Amber's phone number. For a second he wondered if he should call her to tell her it would never work out between them because he was still in love with Charlotte, but then realized Amber most likely didn't expect a call anyway and ripped the piece of paper apart and threw it in a waste bin. Then he called Violet and asked her if she could stop by his apartment and get him some clean clothes and toiletries. He wanted to ask her if she could bring some for Charlotte as well, but then realized she must have taken it from his apartment before she went to the staff meeting.

He asked one of the nurses if the paramedics brought any of her stuff, and they told him they put a small suitcase and a handbag in the closet in her room. After Cooper showered and changed his clothes, he decided to go through that stuff and see if there were items Charlotte could use.

He looked at Charlotte and said "I hope you don't mind I go through your stuff. But I know you would want the nurses to use your own toothbrush and toothpaste later."  
He put the suitcase on a chair and looked at it. It seemed mostly unharmed and he felt sad that it wasn't the suitcase that got hit instead of her. Carefully opening the zipper he saw the suitcase was stuffed with clothes. The toiletries were placed on top. He opened the zipper of the bag and took out her toothbrush and tooth paste and put it on her nightstand. Together with her deodorant. The other items she wouldn't need as long as she was in the ICU. He carefully put the bag back in the suitcase and realized she wouldn't need the clothes and other items in the suitcase either so he carefully closed the zipper and wanted to put the suitcase back in the closet.

It wasn't until the monitor that recorded Charlotte's vitals started beeping in another rhythm that he turned around. He walked to the bed and said "Charlotte." He grabbed her hand. "Can you squeeze my hand if you hear me?" But there was no response.

He wanted to know why there was a sudden change in the monitors and wanted to call for a doctor when a nurse walked in. She checked Charlotte's vitals and looked at her patient. "I think she's starting to fight the tube. I'll page dr. Walker."

"You think she's ready to breath on her own? She doesn't respond."

"Let the doctor tell."

Cooper waited in silence while dr. Walker examined Charlotte a few minutes later. "I think Susan is right." He finally said. "She is fighting the tube."

"Are you going to extubate?" Cooper asked and Walker nodded. "First I'm going to unhook the ventilator and see if Charlotte will breath on her own. If she does, then we'll extubate." Then he turned to Susan and said "Do you have an oxygen mask ready?"

Susan nodded. "I have it right here."

Dr. Walker disconnected the ventilator from the tube and they all held their own breaths until Charlotte finally took over and breathed on her own. Dr. Walker took his stethoscope and listened to Charlotte's lungs. "Equal breath sounds. So we can extubate now."

Cooper stepped aside when dr. Walker and Susan worked simultaneously on taking out the tube, and putting a breathing mask on Charlotte's face to provide her some extra oxygen.

"This is a good sign." Dr. Walker finally told Cooper when he was satisfied with the new situation. "I do want to take her downstairs to radiology for a CT scan of her brain later, and a radiologist will come up for that ultrasound soon."

"Why do you think a CT scan is necessary?" Cooper asked, although he know it was most likely for check-up.

"We always do one after brain surgery. We want to see if there are no new bleedings, how the swelling of the brain is, if there's no free air. Things like that."

"I thought that was it." Cooper replied. "I just wanted to know for sure."

"I'm glad you're asking. I promise I'll come up to talk to you after I have the results of the ultrasound and the CT scan. Maybe then I can say something more. But I can't promise you anything because she's still not waking up on her own."

"I know." Cooper replied. Because he knew there was nothing else he could do than to be patient.

When dr. Walker left Cooper sat down next to Charlotte again. He remained silent for a while, then he thought back to the day they first went out with each other. A smile appeared on his face as he remembered it was him who convinced her to go out with her. He thought it was funny that two people who didn't got along in real life, seemed to have so many things in common on the internet.

"Do you remember how you felt when you realized it was me you had been chatting with back then?" He asked. But of course there was no response. That didn't stop him from talking though. "I'll never forget the shocked look on your face when I told you I was meeting a blond, petite woman I met on the internet, 9 pm. As you were meeting someone at the same time. I felt sorry you left, although I could understand. I did wonder however how it was possible we seemed to have so much in common during those chat sessions. And that's why I asked you out for a drink. Not that we ever had a drink that night." He smiled and squeezed her hand.

"It was a lot of fun in the beginning. But then I started to miss a real connection. I'm glad I finally convinced you to talk, and to have lunch together. To do things real couples do. And I was glad I was finally able to tell Violet about us.

"Uhum." He heard someone cough in the door opening and he turned around. "I'm sorry to disturb you." The man said, before introducing himself. "I'm Julian Abbot from radiology. I'm here to do the ultrasound."

"Of course. Go ahead." Cooper said, while stepping aside.

The radiologist wheeled the ultrasound machine in the room and connected it before turning on the machine. He waited until the system booted and then entered Charlotte's patient information into the machine. Then he took the blankets of Charlotte and Cooper gasped when he saw the rest of Charlotte's body covered with bruises.

"Maybe you should wait outside." Dr. Abbot said, while turning to face Cooper.

Cooper shook his head. "I would like to stay if you don't mind. I'm a doctor."

"I know. But this is someone you love."

Cooper nodded. "I know it's not allowed to keep family in the room. But please, don't make me leave. I need to see for myself that she's okay."

"Alright then." Dr. Abbot finally allowed. "But don't tell anyone."

"I promise." Cooper said, and then moved into a position where he was able to see the ultrasound screen, and wasn't standing in the way.

Dr. Abbot put some ultrasound gel on the transducer before sliding it over Charlotte's stomach. "Sorry that it's cold." He told his patient, while he studied the screen. He worked fast and thorough as he examined all the organs in Charlotte's abdomen.

"The bruise already increased a little." Dr. Abbot finally said. "I don't see any free fluid in the abdomen or other signs of lacerations, and there's no reason why the kidney shouldn't heal."

"Thank you." Cooper said, relieved as he watched dr. Abbot take away the ultrasound machine. When the room was empty again he said "Maybe I should call your mother. If I was her I would want to know. I hope you won't be mad at me."

He placed a kiss on Charlotte's forehead before he walked out of the room. He decided to tell the nurses he was going to the cafeteria to eat something and made sure they would page him if anything changed. Then he walked outside first so he could call Charlotte's mother.

It wasn't until he was outside that he realized he didn't have a number he could call. But he remembered the address and decided to call information to ask for a number. "Hello, could you give me the number of Mrs. King, living on Pineville road, Monroeville Alabama?" He wrote down the number he was given and disconnected the call. Then he entered the digits he just wrote down and waited.

"Mrs. King speaking." He finally heard and his heart started beating faster.

"Mrs. King. My name is Cooper Freedman."

"Yes. Can I help you?" She replied politely and Cooper realized she didn't recognize his name.

"We met a year ago, when your husband died. I'm Charlotte's boyfriend." He introduced himself. "I'm sorry to bother you."

"Oh. You're that Cooper. I'm sorry I didn't remember you." Mrs. King replied. "I remember you now. You came all the way from Los Angeles to be there for my daughter. You're a nice man."

Cooper forced a smile, but stopped when he realized Mrs. King couldn't see it anyway.

When Cooper didn't say anything else Mrs. King asked. "What can I help you with son? Is something wrong with my daughter?"

"I'm afraid so." He replied, before he lost courage. "A man ran a red light yesterday just as Charlotte was crossing the street. She didn't see him, and he didn't see her…."

"Oh my God." He heard Mrs. King whisper. "How is she? Is she alright?"

"I'm sorry to tell you that's she's in a coma right now. She had a bleeding in her brain, but a doctor operated on her and took care of that. She didn't wake up yet though. She also has a few fractured bones, but they will heal within time. She just has to wake up."

"How long will that take?" Mrs. King asked, trying to keep the tears out of her voice.

"I wish I could say." Cooper replied honestly. "She started breathing on her own today which is a good sign. But…. I really wish I could say."

"I'll have to call my boys. They would want to know Charlotte's in the hospital. Do you think… can I come over?" She asked.

"Of course." Cooper replied. "We're at St. Ambrose hospital. The hospital where Charlotte works. She's in the ICU. Room number 7."

"I'll let one of the boys drive me to the airport and take the first available flight. And Cooper?"

"Yes?" He replied.

"Please take good care of my girl."

"I will." He replied and heard that Mrs. King hung up. He put the phone back in his pocket and sat down as he felt like crying again. If he had taken good care of Charlotte, none of this would have happened.

**T.B.C.**


	6. Chapter 6

A/N: Once again thanks for all your reviews. Your thoughts help me decide what I want to write next. I haven't figured it all out yet, but it's becoming more and more clear. My boyfriend sometimes asks me how long this story will be but all I can say is that I know when it's finished. Well, not yet, I can tell you that. Let me know what you think of this chapter!

_**4:33 pm - St. Ambrose Hospital**_

Violet looked around Charlotte's room and was surprised Cooper wasn't there. She figured he would come back soon and sat down in the chair Cooper occupied most of the time. She looked at the woman who became her friend over the past year and wished she'd known about the fight Charlotte had with Cooper so she could have offered her a proper place to stay.

"I really do hope you're going to be alright Charlotte." Violet said. "I know I haven't always been nice to you, but you have been a great friend when Cooper was still living with me. I'm sorry I kept him from you during that time."

"She understands." Cooper said, and Violet turned to look at her friend.

"How long have you been standing there?"

"Just walked in. I used the men's room." Cooper replied. "Are you finished in the office already?"

"Are you checking up on me?" Violet asked with a smile.

Cooper shook his head. "Just wondering. I don't think you've ever left this early.

"My last patient cancelled so I figured I should come here and see how Charlotte's doing. And you of course."

"She's the same." He replied.

"And you?" Violet asked.

Cooper raised his shoulders. "Also the same I guess. Although guilt is eating me. "Can we… do you mind if we talk?"

"Of course not. Have you had lunch?"

Cooper nodded. "I did actually. I called Charlotte's mother and then went to get something to eat while she had another CT scan."

"How did it look?" Violet asked, hoping there wasn't bad news.

"The swelling went down and the massive bleed the CT showed yesterday is gone. No new bleeders so it's looking good. If only she'd wake up now…."

"Patience Cooper. Give her time."

"I will. As much as she needs." He kissed Charlotte's forehead before they left the room. "I think it's crowded in the family room. Can we go outside for a while? I could use the fresh air."

"Of course." Violet replied, understanding Cooper wanted to talk in private. Without the lurking ears of Charlotte's staff.

"I said so many horrible thing to her." Cooper confessed when they were sitting on a bench outside.

"When?" Violet asked.

"Yesterday. When we were fighting."

"What kind of things?" She asked, wanting to know if she could help her friend.

'So if I get this straight, you think my favorite hobby is to sit around dreaming up ways to emasculate you' Charlotte asked, after he told her she made him feel like less of a man.

'You humiliated me when you bought me into the practice without asking me. That made me less than a man

'You made yourself less of a man when you spend all the money in your bank account.' She paused, regretting what she said. 'Wait, let's start over…'

'No, no no. This is good.' He yelled. 'Let's get it all out. This is good. Charlotte King finally opens up. Come on.'

'What's that supposed to mean?' She asked, offended.

'I mean, I'm there for you and there for you, but all you want to do is screw and not talk…'

'All I want to do is screw? All I want to do? You're gonna have to look in the mirror because the pot is definitely calling the kettle black. Screw's all you know how to do.'

'No no no I'm a person, I'm a whole person with feelings and friends and a practice full of patients and what do you have?'

'You.' She said with determination, but he didn't get what she was trying to say.

'Don't you say that like it's an insult. Don't you dare! I'm not a freak. I'm not the freak Charlotte…'

"Cooper. Cooper!" Violet turned his face towards her to get his attention. "Talk to me Cooper."

"I called her heartless. I told her that she wasn't a person. That she has no feelings. That she's no normal woman."

"Why would you say that Cooper? No, let me rephrase. How come you're feeling that? When did you start to resent her?"

'It's not my fault you're not a man. So don't tell me I'm not a woman.'

"She said I'm not a man. Why would she say that?" He did know, because he told her she made him feel less of a man.

"Why do you think she said that?" Violet replied, sensing he did know the answer himself.

He sighed. "I don't know why I'm feeling like that lately. Why she makes me feel like I'm less of a man. Or if it's even her that's causing those feelings. I just know that I am feeling lost. And it makes me act like a jerk."

"When did these feelings start?"

He raised his shoulders. "I can't figure that out. I've gone over every fight I had with her many times today but I can't seem to get my hands on it. Maybe when I couldn't save you? Maybe when Charlotte paid the 50 grand I needed for my share into the practice? When she became a sexologist. I really don't know Violet. I wish I knew."

"Something must have happened that made thinks click Cooper."

"Maybe… a guy beat me up for no reason in jail and didn't fight back? I spend all the money I had in my bank account on stuff I thought made me a man, but it actually made me less of a man? Or maybe, when Charlotte finally did move in as I asked for many times, I realized that I never lived with a woman before and it smothered me, knowing that I had to step up and be a man?"

"Or maybe all those things together." Violet said. "But you lived with me." She added, suddenly wondering.

"That was different. It wasn't permanent. And we were living together as friends. Roommates. I've done that. But I've never been in a serious relationship. And it scared me. It scares the hell out of me." He finally confessed.

"So when an opportunity came up to start a fight, you grabbed it with both your hands and pushed her away."

He looked down at his shoes, ashamed.

"Cooper." Violet said, pushing his chin up with a finger so he faced her.

"I thought it was what I wanted my whole life, but never found. And when it finally did happen, all I wanted was to have my old life back. To not have to think about someone else all the time. To go home to a place that was mine, and mine alone. With a bathroom I liked, my own furniture and no feminine touch. But then she put in an entire new bathroom and her things moved in with her and it reminded me, that life would never be the same again and I got scared. And I took it all out on her."

"Why didn't you talk to me Cooper." Violet asked. Because they used to share everything.

He looked at her. "Because you had enough going on Violet. I couldn't tell you about my problems."

"Then why didn't you tell Charlotte about your fears? That's the way it's supposed to be in a relationship. Otherwise it will never work."

"She told me more than once that she's too much a woman for me. And it turned out she was right. She has more money than me. She knows exactly what she wants. And she wasn't scared to take that next step."

"Oh Cooper." Violet sighed. "Do you really believe that she's never scared? That she never wanted to be alone? She's a strong woman who lived on her own for a very long time. A woman with a high position at st. Ambrose can't show fear because people will take advantage of her. But do you honestly think that she never had any doubts? That she was never scared? Because everybody gets scared. That's only human."

He looked down ashamed again when he said. "I thought…"

"You have to tell her about your fears Cooper. You have to open yourself up if you want her to open up as well. If you both keep your mouths shut this relationship is doomed to fail. You need to talk. She's supposed to be your best friend now. You have to tell her all your secrets."

"Even if she won't tell me hers?"

"You have to give something in order to get something." Violet said and stood up. "I think it's time to go back inside. Think about what I said, then you'll figure out what to do."

"Thanks Violet." Cooper said, as he followed Violet inside.

**_5:23 PM – ICU Ward_ **

When they reached Charlotte's room they saw a woman sitting next to her bed. "You go in" Violet whispered. "I'll come back later."

Cooper nodded. "I'll call you if anything changes."

Violet nodded and walked away while Cooper turned around and entered the room. "Hi." He said, and the woman looked up.

"You must be Cooper. I'm Charlotte's mother."

"Mrs. King." Cooper said. "I'm so sorry."

Mrs. King forced a smile. "Do you think she'll be okay?"

"I hope so. With all my heart." He said, as he walked to the other side of the bed and took Charlotte's hand in his. And then his heart missed a beat as the hand in his suddenly moved.

"Charlotte." He called her name, as he studied her face. "Open your eyes Charlotte."

He could see her fight as her eyes slowly fluttered open.

"Charlotte. You're awake. You're at the hospital but you're going to be alright. Your mother is here too."

Charlotte tried to say something and Cooper couldn't make out what she was saying at first. But then his heart missed a beat again as he finally heard what she said. "James. How's the baby?"

**T.B.C.**


	7. Chapter 7

_A/N: Once again thanks for all your wonderful reviews. It's really nice to hear your thoughts on this story and it really helps me to take this story in the right direction. In this chapter is the explanation you all wanted to read. Thanks for your patience! Please R&R. _

_**5:26 pm – St. Ambrose Hospital**_

"James. How's the baby?" Charlotte whispered when she stared at Cooper. Then her eyes closed again.

"Squeeze my hand Charlotte." Cooper said as he ignored Charlotte's words. But her hand stayed still in his. He carefully placed it on the bed as he looked at Charlotte's mother. She stared at Cooper with tears in her eyes.

"She's awake."

He nodded, but the fact that she didn't recognized him worried him even more than the coma had. "We should call a doctor."

He walked to the nurses station and spotted a nurse he'd seen before. "Charlotte woke up. I think she's asleep now, but you should page someone."

"I will." The nurse replied, as she picked up the phone and dialed a number. After the phone call ended she addressed Cooper again. "I called dr. Davids from neurology. He will be here soon."

Cooper nodded as he walked back to Charlotte's room. Charlotte's mother was still talking to her daughter and he remained silent for a while. Then eventually he found the courage to ask. "Do you know who James is?"

Charlotte's mother nodded. "I do."

Cooper waited patiently but Mrs. King didn't say anything else. Just when he wanted to try again dr. Davids walked in and examined Charlotte.

"She's asleep now." He eventually said. "But she's out of the coma so she should be okay."

"I think she has amnesia." Cooper said. "She didn't remember me. And it seems like she talked about something in her past."

"It's common that people waking up from a coma are confused and don't remember what happened or what time it is. When she wakes up again I will examine her and see if it it's really amnesia. She might be more clear when she wakes up again."

Cooper nodded, hoping the doctor was right.

"I think it's best if you both leave her alone for a while. She needs her rest to get better. I promise the nurses will keep an eye on her and contact you when she's awake again. Or if anything changes."

"I don't like leaving her." Cooper said.

"I understand." Dr. Davids replied. "But we have to think about what's best for our patient."

"Come on." Mrs. King said, and walked to Cooper's side of the bed. "We'll talk. She'll be alright. I promise."

He nodded and lightly kissed Charlotte's forehead. "Sleep tight." He whispered and then left with Charlotte's mother.

They decided they could use something to eat and went to the cafeteria. After the both got their food they found a table in the far end of the cafeteria where they could talk quietly.

After they both took a few bites Charlotte's mother said "I'm glad you called me."

"I'm sorry I didn't call sooner." Cooper replied. "To be honest I wasn't sure if Charlotte would want me to call. She hardly ever speaks about you. But I finally realized that if I were you, I would want to know."

"I respect that." Mrs. King replied. "I also understand your doubts. I haven't been a good mother."

"I didn't say that." Cooper said, when he studied the woman sitting in front of him. Charlotte looked a lot like her mother. They had the same facial lines and the same smile. Mrs. King turned gray over the years, and her face was slightly wrinkled, but it was hard to miss the resemblance.

"I know you didn't son." She replied. After she took a deep breath she continued "You know, I hardly recall meeting you. I remember a man came to be there for Charlotte when my husband died last year. But I couldn't have picked you out of a police line-up if I had to."

Cooper smiled. "It was a hard time to you all."

"Mostly to Charlotte I think." Mrs. King replied honestly. "My husband was a difficult man. He made life hard for all of us, but for Charlotte. He loved her very much and respected every choice she made. Although he did blame all her bad choices in life on me. There once was a time when I loved him. When I married him and had Charlotte and the boys, at first it was a happy time. But then I realized his true nature and life became difficult and I sought ways out…"

"Charlotte told me you had a problem with pills and booze." Cooper said, not really knowing if he should bring it up. But Mrs. King nodded.

"I was looking for release and found it on those things. And that made me a bad mother, and a bad wife. I should've been there more for Charlotte and the boys when they were growing up. And after that. I never gave them the love they deserved. I was too busy throwing cocktail parties to know what was going on in their lives. I understand that she hasn't contacted me over the past year. I don't deserve it anyway."

Cooper looked at Mrs. King. "Tell me if I'm wrong, but you seem clean now."

Mrs. King nodded. "The first few weeks after my husband died I drank more than ever, in combination with using pills. I passed out one day and Duke's 7 year old daughter found me lying on the kitchen floor. She ran home to her father and he called an ambulance. They diagnosed me with liver cirrhosis at the hospital and told me that if I wouldn't stop drinking, I would die within a year.

Both Duke and Landry visited me in the hospital a few days later and told me they wouldn't let their kids see me anymore unless I would go to a rehab facility. And for the first time in my life I realized I could lose all that I loved so I checked myself into such facility and have been sober for 239 days now."

"Congratulations." was Cooper's first reply. "Why didn't you tell Charlotte?" was the second.

"I tried calling her once, but she hung up on me. So I decided that she would come to me when she was ready. Besides, I understand her reaction because I haven't been the mother I should have been. You were right when you thought she wouldn't want you contacting me."

"And I'm glad I did contact you." Cooper replied. "It's good when she sees that you've changed."

Mrs. King smiled. "You're a good man Cooper. I'm glad my daughter is with you."

Cooper was smiling back at first, but the smile faded immediately when she spoke those words.

"What's wrong?" Mrs. King asked, suddenly alarmed. "What did I say wrong?"

"To be honest, Charlotte and I are no longer together. We have been fighting a lot and I broke up with her yesterday. She was walking towards a hotel because she had no other place to stay, when the car hit her. This is all my fault."

Mrs. King looked at the man in front of her. She saw the guilt in his eyes and wondered what she should say next. Her first instinct was to get mad at him, but then she realized that he'd been with her daughter the entire time after the accident. Was that out of guilt? Or was it something else? "Why are you here then?" She finally asked.

"What do you mean?" Cooper asked, surprised at her question.

"If you broke up with my daughter, why are you are here at the hospital? Why do I have the feeling you've been here the whole time? Is that guilt?"

He shook his head. "I love her. I want her to be okay. I couldn't leave her alone. I couldn't do that."

Mrs. King nodded slightly. "That's what I thought. Maybe things will work out. It's been a long time since Charlotte let a man into her life."

"James?" Cooper asked, remembering the words Charlotte spoke when she woke up.

"She hasn't told you about him, has she?" Mrs. King asked, and Cooper shook his head.

"Was he the man she married?"

"You know about that." She said. "I don't think she told many people she ever was married."

"Do you think… can you tell me about James?"

"That's really something she should do." Mrs. King said.

"I understand." Cooper replied. "If you ever want to regain her trust, you shouldn't tell me. She wouldn't want that."

"But maybe it's good I finally do. Because I know she has been scaring away other people. Living a lonely life because of what happened. And I know what it's like to be lonely and I want my daughter to be happy. For her to make better choices in life than I have."

"You don't have to." Cooper said once more, because he didn't want to force Mrs. King to finally tell him the truth. Even though he desperately wanted to know.

"Charlotte probably told you she's the only one of our three children who went to college. Both Duke and Landry married right out of high school. But she kept out that she too married out of high school and didn't intend to go to college at first.

Charlotte was a popular girl in high school and in her senior year she dated James. They were very much in love and intended to stay together for the rest of their lives. James' parents wanted him to go to college, and my husband wanted Charlotte to go as well. But Charlotte had other plans. She wanted to get married and have a family of her own. My husband tried to talk her out of it. Telling her that if they both got a good education, they'd be able to raise their children better. But she wouldn't hear any of it.

My husband adored Charlotte and finally agreed for them to get married, if at least James would go to college. He offered to buy them a house close to a college if James would get an education. He told her he would pay all their bills if she would take a few classes as well.

They got married before the end of the summer. It was a nice small wedding with some family and some friends, and they moved into their new house as James started class in the fall. Charlotte took a few premed courses, but ended up getting pregnant by the end of the year.

My husband told her that if she would continue going to her classes until the baby was born, he would arrange someone to take care of the baby afterwards. She agreed to go to class until the delivery but she refused to leave the baby alone. She would drop out, but James would finish college. That was the deal.

When Charlotte was in her eighth month they were driving towards our house for a party I was having but a car hit theirs a few blocks from there. Charlotte was badly hurt and ended up losing the baby. James was the lucky one and walked out with a few bruises only.

After the accident Charlotte withdrew herself in her own world. She shut James out and refused to talk about what they'd lost together. James threw himself at work and his classes and they hardly saw each other. And when they did see each other, all they did was fight.

Charlotte blamed me for the accident because if I hadn't thrown that party, they wouldn't have been there. My husband blamed me as well, and wouldn't see what Charlotte was doing to herself. She started using pills so she would feel better but he refused to see it. One day James came to our house begging us to help her. He said he couldn't take it any more. He lost his son as well, and he had trouble coping. And he was only 19 years old at the time. He said that it was our job to take care of Charlotte and that he couldn't do it anymore. He filed for divorce the next day and after that my husband finally took responsibility and forced Charlotte to get help. When she finally got her life back on track she went back to James, but he moved on and didn't want to go back to the life they had together. He had a girlfriend and said he tried to fix things between them many times and that it was too late now.

Charlotte's heart broke again when that happened but she didn't want to go back to the situation she was in before and decided to work on her future. She wanted to go to college and finished the premed classes she was following and finally went to med school at Johns Hopkins. She did refuse to speak about what happened ever since then."

Cooper looked at Mrs. King in shock. He hadn't know what to expect, but he could understand now why Charlotte never told him about what happened. That must have been so painful. Not only losing her child, but then man she loved as well. Even when she was to blame for that. Maybe that's why she pushed him away at first, and was trying to fight so hard to keep things together when she was finally committed to the relationship. When he tried to push her away and said all those horrible things to her.

It all made sense now. Her not wanting to be in a real relationship. That she hardly has any friends. She's afraid that when she lets someone in, she will only lose that person. And in the end he realized why she was able to help Violet during her pregnancy. And why she finally forced him to go to Violet after the attack.

"Cooper?" Mrs. King asked. Worried that she said something wrong.

"Thank you." Cooper finally replied. "I…. I had no idea. It all makes so much more sense now. It makes me regret the way I treated her even more."

"We all regret things in life. But the past year I learned that it's never too late to make things right."

And that was one lesson Cooper needed to hear.

**T.B.C.**


	8. Chapter 8

A/N: It took a bit longer to update than I'd hoped but here is the next chapter. Once again thanks to you all for your wonderful reviews. I really appreciate them!!

_**8:56 am – St. Ambrose Hospital**_

Charlotte didn't wake up again the entire night. The nurses provided Mrs. King with a bed as well that night, and both she and Cooper tried to get some sleep. The nurses had promised them both they would wake them up if Charlotte awoke again, but it was now morning and Charlotte was still asleep.

While Mrs. King went to the cafeteria for some breakfast, Cooper decided to check up on Charlotte first.

When he entered the room he looked at her sleeping form for a while, before entering the room further and sitting down in the chair he occupied a lot these past 2 days. He saw the nurses changed the sheets and washed their patient already and he was surprised that hadn't woken Charlotte up. But just when he started wondering if he should call the neurologist to check if she hadn't slipped back in the coma, her hand moved.

He grabbed it in his and squeezed it, letting her know he was there. Her eyes eventually opened and started at him. She looked scared and a bit confused but he smiled as he was finally able to look into her eyes again. "You're awake." He said and she blinked her eyes.

He waited for a while but she remained silent this time. "How are you feeling?" He asked.

"Sore." She whispered and he nodded.

"You were in a car accident. You broke a few bones but you're going to be alright."

She coughed a few times and he put a hand on her chest so it wouldn't hurt so much.

"Do you remember what happened?" He asked.

She shook her head. "What day is it?"

"Thursday." Cooper replied and he squeezed her hand. "What's the last thing you remember?"

She looked at him with big eyes and coughed again. "I don't know."

"It's okay." He whispered. "It will be alright. I'll call the doctor okay?"

She nodded. Cooper placed a kiss on her forehead as he walked away to the nurses station. He told a nurse to page dr. Davids and walked back to Charlotte's room.

He was happy to see she was still awake, but he was scared as well. He wondered what she did remember. And if she recognized him as Cooper and not her ex-husband.

For once he found himself at loss for words. He looked at her and smiled, trying to let her know things were okay. Even when he didn't feel it himself. Fortunately it wasn't long before dr. Davids walked in and Cooper stepped aside so he could examine her.

He did a quick neurological exam before he started asking questions.

"Do you remember your name?" dr. Davids asked.

"Charlotte." She replied.

"And your last name?"

"King."

"Very good." Dr. Davids smiled supportively. "Do you remember who he is?" He asked, while pointing at Cooper.

Charlotte nodded.

"What's his name?" Dr. Davids pressed.

She shook her head, looking down at the sheets. "I…. I'm tired."

"That's okay." Dr. Davids replied. "Why don't you try to sleep some more? We'll try again later."

She nodded and closed her eyes, as she pulled the sheets up a little with her left hand.

"Let's talk outside." Dr. Davids whispered to Cooper, and Cooper followed him outside.

"What do you think? Is she having amnesia?" Cooper asked, once they closed Charlotte's door.

"She remembered her own name, which is a good sign. When I asked her if she knew who you were, I did see recognition in her eyes. The brain injury can make it hard for her to connect words. What she needs is to rest and she might recognize more once she's awake again. But only time will tell what she really remembers. I think she won't remember the accident and she might forget things that happened that day. But that's different for every patient who's been in a coma."

"So we just need to be patient again." Cooper sighed.

"Fortunately yes, that's the only option." Dr. Davids replied honestly.

_**15:05 pm – Charlotte's room**_

A few hours later Charlotte awoke again. She tried hard to remember where she was, but realized that she couldn't remember. She heard a constant beeping sound and wondered where it was coming from. Slowly she opened her eyes and looked around the room she was in. It seemed sterile. White walls. White sheets on the bed. She lifted her left hand a little and saw an IV was inserted. So she must be at the hospital. And the beeping sound must be a heart monitor. She tried to lift her right hand but realized it was too heavy. She tried to lift her head a little so she could look at it, but her head felt heavy and painful as well. Giving that up she looked further around the room and saw Cooper and her mother sitting in chairs on the other side of the room. Her mother was reading a magazine and Cooper was writing something down in a note book.

She tried to remember the last time she saw her mother but couldn't. She seemed different somehow. She could tell that. But she couldn't get her hands on what it was. She was too tired to think of it so she focused on Cooper. Her heart ached when she thought about him and she wondered why. She tried to think about what happened and slowly words started creeping back in her mind. _'You lied. Why did you lie?' _They'd been fighting so much. Did they break up, or had she trouble connecting things?

She wondered how she ended up in this hospital bed. But she couldn't remember it, even when she tried so hard. Then she thought back to a time a long time ago when she was in a hospital bed like this. She still couldn't remember what happened that day, but she remembered waking up.

_Her husband was sitting next to her bed, his eyes red from the tears he let go. At first she thought that was because she was hurt. But then she realized her stomach was flat and she missed something._ _´James, where's the baby?'_ _She asked and he looked at her with his tears stained eyes. _

'_You were hurt so badly Charlotte. That truck hit your side of our car. You were stuck inside the car and the fire department had to take off the roof before they could take you out.'_

Tears slowly started to fill her eyes when she realized what this meant. She tried once more. 'Where's the baby James.'

_He swallowed as he shook his head. 'The doctors had to deliver him when you arrived at the hospital. They tried so hard to save his life. But he wasn't breathing. And he was so blue.' More tears escaped from his eyes as he sobbed. _

'_His?' Charlotte asked. 'We have a son?'_

_Another sob escaped from his lips. 'He died Charlotte. They couldn't safe him.'_

_She let a sob escape as well as she tried to grab James' hand. He took it and squeezed it. 'Can I see him?' She asked and he raised his shoulders._

'_We should ask one of the nurses.'_

_She nodded and let go of his hand. Showing him she wanted him to ask now. She had to see it with her own eyes, otherwise she wouldn't believe it. _

_But by the time a nurse showed up she was crying so hysterical, that they gave her something to numb the pain. And that felt so good, every time she felt pain, she wanted more._

Realizing her addiction started that moment, she didn't want any more medicine now. She had to get better on her own. She didn't want to go back to the person she was then. She tried to lift her right hand again, because she needed it to pull out the IV in her left. But the cast was so heavy. She obviously must have made some noise, because both Cooper and her mother looked up and ran to the bed.

"You're awake." Cooper said. "How are you feeling?"

"Take out the IV." She ordered. "Please take it out."

Cooper shook his head. "You need it Charlotte. It has to stay in."

"I want it gone." She said, as a tear escaped from her eyes.

Cooper shook his head again and used his thumb to wipe away the tear. "You're going to be okay. I promise."

She carefully shook her head. "You don't understand."

He thought back to the story Mrs. King told him yesterday and realized where this was coming from. "But I do Charlotte. I promise the doctors will take it out the second you don't need it anymore. But you're hurt too bad to go without meds. I'll call a doctor and have him explain. But you really do need it."

She looked at him with her tired eyes and wondered how he knew where she was talking about. Then she looked at her mother and realized that she must have told the truth. The truth she tried so hard to keep a secret because she couldn't go back to it. And because she couldn't have Cooper see the way she was back then. And from the way it seemed now, that was all revealed to him.

She slowly started to shake her head. "Please leave. Just leave."

"Who?" Cooper asked as he tried to grab her hand but she pulled it away.

"Both of you. I don't need you. I'll be fine."

"I'll get some help." Mrs. King said and walked away immediately.

"I'm not going anywhere." Cooper said as he tried to look Charlotte in the eye.

"You don't love me." Charlotte said, as she fought hard to stay awake, and calm.

"You're wrong about that." Cooper replied. "The past 2 days I realized how much I love you and how stupid I've been acting the past few weeks. I've been here since they brought you in here, and I promise you I'll stay until you're allowed to go home. I now realize what you've been through and I understand why you were never able to tell me. And I'm sorry that I've been such a jerk. I also realize why I've been such a jerk to you. And we'll talk about it and I promise we'll make things work and things will be better. But you have to get better first. I see that you're tired and you shouldn't fight so hard to stay awake. You need sleep to get better. And I'll be here when you wake up. You won't be alone anymore."

Charlotte looked at Cooper and for the first time in a long time she saw sincerity in his eyes. And that gave her enough faith to let her eyes close, and she fell asleep again immediately.

**T.B.C.**


	9. Chapter 9

_A/N: Once again thanks to you all for the wonderful reviews. I'm glad you liked Charlotte and Cooper finally talking. There will be a lot more of that in the next few chapters, because it's about time they talk and work out their issues. If only they'd do that on the show… _

_**9:23 am – St Ambrose Hospital**_

"Good news." Dr. Walker said, when he walked into Charlotte's ICU room.

She looked expectantly at her doctor.

"You're doing so well that we're going to transfer you to another department." Dr. Walker said.

"Which one?" Cooper asked, pleased that she was able to leave the ICU.

"We have a medium care bed at the surgical floor."

"No neurology of neurosurgery?" Cooper asked, knowing Charlotte was also a neurological patient.

"There are no beds available there and she is also a surgical patient."

Charlotte nodded. "How long before I can go home?"

Dr. Walker smiled. "We have to take one step at the time Charlotte. Moving to a medium care unit is a big step forward, but it could take a while before you're able to go home. Your lung isn't fully re-inflated yet so you still need the chest-tube. You will also need a lot of physical therapy so you can be on your feet before you go home. That could take a week, maybe two. You were in a major accident and you're lucky you came out of it this well."

She nodded. Cooper still hadn't told her what happened exactly, but she was going to ask him about it soon.

"When will you move her?" Cooper asked.

"The nurses from the medium care will be here in a few minutes. I will go see some other patients now, and will check up on you once you're settled in your new room."

"Thank you." Charlotte said.

Dr. Walker smiled at his patient, before he left the room.

Cooper kissed Charlotte's forehead after dr. Walker left. "You're doing great." He said, really happy she was able to take a step forward.

"Cooper?" Charlotte asked, ignoring his words.

"Yeah?" He asked, sitting down next to her again.

"What happened?"

"When?" He asked, wondering where she was talking about.

"The day of the accident. The memories are all so vague. I don't know which ones are real and which ones aren't. And I can't remember the accident at all."

He studied Charlotte's face. He knew this question would come one day, but he'd hoped it wouldn't come this soon.

"I have to know the truth." Charlotte pressed. "I need to remember what happened."

"It wasn't a pretty day." Cooper replied. "What do you remember?" He then asked. If he knew what she still remembered, he knew how much he had to tell her.

"I think we had a fight. I don't really remember what was said, but I have this feeling we broke up. But you've been here so that doesn't make sense."

Cooper sighed. "I think you should get better first. Before we have this discussion."

She carefully shook her head. "I need to know the truth Cooper. Why are you here if we broke up?"

"Because sometimes something really bad needs to happen before you can see things in perspective. You're right. We did have a fight. Like we've had a lot these past few weeks. I wanted to know why you lied to me and you wouldn't tell me. I told you you made me feel like less of a man, and I called you heartless."

Pain entered Charlotte's heart as words from that day slowly crept back in her mind.

'It's not about crying. It's about being a person. It's about being a normal person. It's about being a normal woman for once.'

'It's not my fault you're not a man. So don't tell me I'm not a woman.'

'I'm literally, I fully hate you right now.'

´Oh join the freaking club.' And they started shouting at each other again.

"Charlotte." Cooper said, trying to get her attention.

"The things we said to each other that day. How can we ever fix things?" She asked as she thought back to Cooper sitting in that chair, finally exhausted from all the screaming they'd done.

'We're done. We are breaking up.'

'Coop, we're having a fight.'

'No, we're done. I'm done.'

'You don't get to be done. You don't get to decide what happens to us.'

'Goodbye Charlotte.' He said, as he stood up. Ready to walk away.

'Okay, this, this is the problem, right here. You won't man up and face stuff. You wanna just cut and run. We're having a fight.'

"Charlotte." Cooper said, trying to get her attention.

"You're supposed to love me." She said, as she had said that day.

"And I do." Cooper replied. "I now know that I do. More than I ever thought was possible."

She looked at him curiously. A lot must have happened since she the got hit by that car. But before they could say anything else on that subject two nurses walked in, cheerfully.

"Good morning miss King. We're ready to take you to your new room now."

Cooper gave her an apologetic look. "I promise we'll talk about it later."

She nodded, as she tried to focus on the nurses next. They got her ready for transfer while Cooper took her personal items from the nightstand and put them in her suitcase. He was ready before they were and realized Charlotte's mother didn't know about the transfer yet. She was at the cafeteria allowing Charlotte and Cooper some time alone.

"How about I'll tell your mother you're moving, while you get settled in your new room?" He asked. "I'm only standing in the way anyway."

Charlotte forced a smile. "You promise you'll be there soon?"

"Of course. But you need your rest as well." He replied. "How about I'll get some late breakfast/early lunch myself and meet you in a few hours."

She looked sad, but one of the nurses cut in before she could say anything else. "I know you're the chief of staff of this hospital, but we have strict visiting hours at our department. I know you're both doctors and that your friend has been allowed to stay with you as much as possible in this room, but we can't allow that at our department."

She looked at the nurse. "When are visiting hours?"

"From 2 till 3.30 and 7 till 8." The nurse replied. "You're recovering from a bad accident. You need as much rest as possible. The more rest you get, the sooner you get better and the sooner you get out of here."

She tried to force a smile, but couldn't when she realized she'd be alone for most of the time the next few days. But then Cooper took her hand and said "They're right you know. We want to get you out of here as soon as possible and you do need rest. I promise I'll be there every second I'm allowed in the room. And I'll be close when I'm not."

She carefully shook her head. "If you're not allowed to be in the room with me, it's better if you go home and get some proper sleep."

"Do I look that bad?" He smiled.

"Let's just say you've looked better."

"Right back at ya." He said, and placed a kiss on the top of her nose. "I'll go find your mother and I'll meet you in your new room at 2 p.m. exact.

"Cooper?" She asked and he nodded.

"Yeah?"

"Can you… do you think that maybe…"

"What?" He asked. "You can ask me anything."

"My mom. Do you think she can stay with you at your apartment?"

"Of course." He replied. "You didn't have to ask that."

"It's just…"

"Shh." He whispered as he placed the tip of his fingers on her lips to silence her. "You get your rest. I'll meet you at 2 and then we'll talk. I'll go find your mother now, tell her the good news." She nodded and then he took away his finger and replaced them with his lips. "Sleep tight Charlotte."

"See you later Coop." She replied, kissing him once more before they released each other and they finally allowed the nurses to push the bed towards the elevator.

**T.B.C.**


	10. Chapter 10

_A/N: Once again thanks to all of those who reviewed. You make me really think about things and your perspectives help me to continue this story in a certain direction. Here's the next chapter! Let me know what you think. _

_**11:56 am – Cooper's apartment**_

"This is it." Cooper said, when he put the key in the lock. "I haven't been here in a few days, so I have no idea if it's a mess."

"That's alright." Mrs. King replied as Cooper finally got the door open.

He stepped aside so Mrs. King could enter first. Once she was inside he stepped through the door frame as well and closed the door behind him. Mrs. King found her way to the living room.

"Nice place." She said, when she looked around.

"Thank you." Cooper said, when he looked around as well. Things didn't seem much different. Although a few small items Charlotte placed around his living room over the past few months were missing. "The spare bedroom is that door on the left." He said, pointing towards the door he was talking about. "The bathroom is the first door on the right."

"Thank you." Mrs. King replied.

"Please make yourself at home. You can put your stuff in the bathroom if you like. There are towels there you can use. And feel free to open all the cabinets in the kitchen when you're looking for something. Although I have no idea what's inside the fridge. We should probably go grocery shopping later."

"Is there a shop nearby?"

Cooper nodded. "One block that way." He said, pointing in the right direction again.

After that fell an uncomfortable silence which made Mrs. King smile eventually. "Maybe you should try and make yourself feel at home."

"Is it that obvious?" He asked when he still studied the places where the small items used to be.

"Seems like you're missing something."

"Just a few things Charlotte took from here. It's weird how you can miss stuff you thought annoyed you."

"I understand." Mrs. King replied. "I realized that after my husband died. Things he used to do around the house that annoyed me, I really missed them. And I threw some items he liked to display out in the barn, only to put them back a few days later because I couldn't stand them gone."

Cooper smiled. "Do you mind if I go change and take a shower?"

"Of course not." Mrs. King replied. "It's your house. Just act as if I'm not here."

"Thank you." Cooper replied and disappeared into his bedroom to get some clean clothes.

_**13:33 pm – St. Ambrose Hospital**_

_'You think I'm making this up?' Charlotte asked, after she told Cooper that Evan lied about the abuse. 'Why would I do that?'_

_'You told Addison.' He replied. 'You can keep a marriage a secret, you could keep this on yourself if someone's life depended on it.'_

_'People lie Cooper. I lied. You lied. He lied.'_

_'No. This is a good kid.' Cooper said, while standing up and shoving the file in her hands. 'You, you what, you belied him? You're a miserable bitch so you belied him? You tried and take what you did and and and… just because you're a liar, doesn't mean everyone else is.'_

_"I know he lied because he told me he lied. And you can call me all the names you want to but it doesn't change that."_

_They both sight and eventually she said 'I met a guy and I fell in love and we got married and it ended badly and I don't like to go back there. I was a different person. And I'm with you now. And there are things I could've told you, could tell you that would make it easier, but… I don't want to go back there. That is why I don't talk about it.'_

_'We were going to get married and you gave me this big speech about the big white wedding and who you were, and what you wanted, and how it was going to be hard for you to walk down the aisle without Big Daddy. So either you already walked down the aisle without your father or you already had your big white wedding with him. You lied Charlotte. You lied.'_

Truth be told, she couldn't remember much of the wedding. Her parents had been there, and her father had walked her down the aisle. She remembered that much. But as much as she thought it meant back then, when James walked out on her when things got rough, not of it mattered anymore. She'd thrown away all the pictures she had of that wedding, and her life with James. The only picture she wished she'd have was one that was never made. Of her baby boy. Her son that never got a change to live.

She remembered that she'd asked to see him again, when the drugs wore off that they gave her to calm her down, after she woke up from that accident. James wasn't in the room that time, but a nurse walked around and smiled when Charlotte opened her eyes.

_'You're awake. How are you feeling?'_

_'Numb.' She replied honestly. 'Is this all a dream?'_

_The nurse shook her head sympathetically. 'I'm afraid not dear.'_

_She placed her hand on her abdomen. Where she'd felt the baby move just yesterday. 'Where is he?' She asked and the nurse looked at her like she didn't understood._

_'Your husband went to the cafeteria for some dinner.' She eventually replied._

_Charlotte felt herself getting mad. 'Don't play dumb. You know exactly who I'm talking about and you know it's not James. Now tell me, where is he?'_

_'He's…' she stuttered 'He's…'_

_'In the morgue?' Charlotte asked and the nurse nodded. 'I want to see him.' Charlotte stated._

_'I'm not sure if you can.' The nurse replied, sympathetically._

_Charlotte shook her head. 'I have to see my son. Please, you have to take him to me.'_

_'I can't. You're not allowed to leave this room.'_

_'Then please, bring him to me. Please, give me time to say goodbye to my son. Please.' Charlotte begged, looking at the nurse, hoping she would understand her need to see him. To say goodbye._

_'I'll ask the doctor if it's possible.' The nurse eventually replied._

_'Thank you.' Charlotte whispered and she waited until finally, what seemed like hours later, they wheeled a crib into her room. A sheet covered the slim form that was lying in it completely._

_'He's cold.' The nurse said. 'And his body is already stiff. But you can see him.' She wheeled the crib next to Charlotte's bed. 'Are you ready?' She asked and Charlotte nodded. Then she carefully pulled the blanket away so the small head was revealed._

_Tears rolled down Charlotte's cheeks when she looked at her son. 'It looks as if he's sleeping.' She said as she carefully moved her hand towards his small head. She flinched when her head felt the ice cold skin of his body, but she bravely continued as she moved her fingers through his short hair. 'He looks so perfect.' She whispered._

_'Do you want to hold him?' The nurse asked and she nodded. The nurse carefully carried the stiff body out of the crib and placed it into Charlotte's arms._

_At that moment James walked in and was shocked to see Charlotte holding the baby. 'What are you doing?' He asked._

_'I'm holding our son.' She said, as she leaned forward and kissed the top of his cold head. 'Did you see him?' She asked and he shook his head._

_'I couldn't.'_

_'Then please, look at him. He's really perfect.' She cried. 'He needs a name.' She said next._

_James took a few steps towards the bed and looked at the tiny baby in Charlotte's arms. 'I can't do this.' He said, when he looked at his son._

_'James.' She yelled, when she watched him walk out of the room. But he didn't turn around and didn't look back. With a broken voice she whispered to the child in her arms 'You need a name.' Then she looked at the nurse standing next to her bed. 'He needs a name.'_

_'Did you have one in mind?' She asked and Charlotte nodded._

_'Jack.'_

_'That's a beautiful name.' The nurse said. She then walked to one of the cabinets and took a name take out of a drawer. She took a pen and with curly letters she wrote down the name Jack and carefully put the bracelet around the kid's wrist. 'There you go.' She said, and Charlotte looked at her grateful._

_'Thank you.'_

_'Your welcome. I think I have to take him back now.'_

_Charlotte nodded and kissed the small forehead once more before placing the baby back in the crib. Then she took the sheet and covered him again, while she started crying again uncontrollably._

"Charlotte." Cooper asked when he walked in the room and saw big tears rolling down her cheeks. "What's wrong?"

She shook her head. "Nothing."

"But you're crying. Please talk to me." He said and turned to look at Mrs. King, feeling helpless.

"What's wrong honey." Mrs. King said, as she walked to the other side of her daughter's bed.

"I had a dream about him." She said.

"Who?" Mrs. King asked.

"Jack."

Mrs. King smiled sympathetically.

"I just… I have no pictures of him."

"I know honey. I know."

"Gosh." She yelled, suddenly mad at herself. "I don't want to go back there. It's all in the past. I don't want to be the woman I was back then. I'm a strong, independent woman and look at me, here in this stupid hospital bed, not able to control anything. I'm pathetic."

"You're not pathetic." Cooper said, trying to make his point clear.

"But I am." She said. "And it's all your fault."

"My fault?" He asked, suddenly alarmed.

"If you hadn't pushed me to talk about it time after time, I could have left it in the past. Why did I have to be so stupid to tell you about the marriage? Why did I have to end up in a freaking hospital? It's all your fault. If you hadn't pushed me, none of this would've happened."

"I didn't meant for any of this to happen." He yelled back, as the guilt he felt for days was even stronger than before.

"But it did happen. And now you have me right where you wanted right? Depending, pathetic, needy. Right what you wanted. But you know what? I'm done."

A couple of nurses came running in the room.

"What the hell is going on in here?" They asked, as they looked at their patient, then to the two people standing in the room.

"He was just leaving." Charlotte said as she pointed towards Cooper.

He shook his head. "Charlotte." He said, his voice just above a whisper.

"I'm done Cooper. I've told you many times that I'm too much a woman for you. You've got me right where you want now, but once I'm better and get back to being my old self, you'll just start to resent me again. But I won't let this happen. I'm telling you to leave right now."

Cooper shook his head. "No. I won't leave."

"Yes you are." One of the nurses said and Cooper looked at her, mad. "I'm sorry sir, but you're upsetting our patient and she needs her rest. You can come back, but only if she wants you to. Right now, it's best if you left."

"Fine." Cooper sighed, realizing this wasn't the right moment to have that discussion with Charlotte. He tried to look at her but she was facing away from him. He knew there was a lot more he could and should say, but this wasn't the right time. So he left, looking back once more before he walked out of the door.

**T.B.C.**


	11. Chapter 11

_A/N: First, thanks to those who read and reviewed the previous chapter. To those who haven't reviewed (in a while) please take the time to leave reviews, because I really need your thoughts to continue this story. I do know how I want it to end, but your thoughts help me with the process to get there. So it is quite important to know what you're thinking! Here's the next chapter. _

_**2:07 pm – St Ambrose Hospital**_

"Are you okay?" Mrs. King asked, after Cooper left.

Charlotte took a few deep breaths to calm herself and angrily wiped her tears away with her left hand. "I don't need him."

"Are you sure?" Mrs. King asked as she took a seat next to her daughter.

"I'm not like you." Charlotte replied. "I don't need a man in my life to be happy. Or unhappy. I don't want to use pills and booze to make my life comfortable."

Mrs. King sighed. "I'm sorry I've been such a terrible mother Charlotte. I never set the right example for you. And I haven't been there in a way I should when the accident happened."

"How did you find out anyway?" Charlotte asked. "I never had you listed as an emergency contact." Talking about this accident because she didn't want to talk about the other one. Not with Cooper, not with anyone.

Mrs. King realized that Charlotte changed the subject, but she decided to let her this once. "Cooper called me. He rightfully doubted if he should, but he realized that I'd want to know so he called anyway."

"He shouldn't have. I don't need you either." Charlotte mumbled, wanting to believe she could do everything by herself.

"I know." Mrs. King sighed. "You're a very independent woman Charlotte. But I've realized the past year that it's nice to have people around you that love you. Especially when you're going through a rough time."

Charlotte looked at her mother. "Did you find a new man?"

Mrs. King smiled. "No, I was talking about your brothers…." And she started telling about her rehab period.

_**2:38 pm – Oceanside Wellness**_

When the elevator doors opened and Cooper stepped into the lobby Dell was the first one who noticed him. He walked around the desk and studied the man in front of him. "Cooper, how are you doing? How's Charlotte?"

"Doing better thank you." Cooper replied as he walked past the man towards Violet's office.

"She's not here." Dell called after him which made Cooper turn around. "I'm sorry, but Violet's on a house call." Dell said when Cooper was facing him.

"And the others?" Cooper asked.

"Addison is with a patient, but Sam has some time. He's in his office." Dell replied.

"Thank you." Cooper said and made his way towards Sam's office.

He knocked before he stepped in and Sam looked up, surprised. "Cooper."

"Hey." Cooper said, as he took a seat across from his colleague.

"How's Charlotte?" Sam asked.

"Do you even care?" Cooper asked, knowing he and Charlotte weren't exactly friends.

"Of course I care." Sam replied, as he studied the man in front of him. "Violet told us she woke up. You're here, does that mean she's out of the ICU?"

Cooper nodded. "They moved her to a medium care bed now. And I'm not allowed to stay except for visiting hours so I thought I should check how things are going here."

"I took over a few cases." Sam said. "Some patients can wait, some I referred to a pediatrician at St. Ambrose, but the ones that needed immediate help are taken care off.

"Thank you." Cooper replied. "Anything important I should know?"

"The charts are on your desk. Just read them when you have the time. Nothing major you should know about right away. A few infections, weird rashes. The regular stuff."

"And Charlotte's patients?" Cooper asked.

"Not really my thing." Sam smiled. "But Addison was able to help a few, some were referred to Pete and others were asked to wait until she gets back."

"Thanks for the help. Tell Addison that as well when you see her."

"Do you think we can go and visit Charlotte one day? We didn't want to come when she was in the ICU. Violet kept us updated and she said there was nothing we could do anyway. But now she's doing better it would be nice to show our faces, bring some flowers. You know."

"Visiting hours are from 2 till 3.30 and 7 till 8." Cooper replied.

Sam looked at his watch. "It's almost 3 o clock now. Why aren't you at the hospital?"

Cooper sighed. "Because she really didn't want me there right now."

"Have you been fighting again?" Sam asked, worried.

"She remembers what happened the day of the accident. I didn't expect her to just forgive me. I just hoped we could have talked about it without fighting. But I'll give her the space and the rest she needs and will try again later. I have some major explaining to do."

"You do know what you want now?"

"Yeah absolutely." Cooper said. "I really got some perspective these past few days. Time to understand things better. I just hope she'll here me out."

"I hope so too man." Sam replied. "And if there's anything else we can do, just let us know."

"I will. Thanks." Cooper replied. "I'll think I'll go read those charts now."

"You don't have to you know. Just go home, get some rest." Sam told his friend but Cooper shook his head.

"I could definitely use the distraction. I'll go and tell Dell that he can book me patients in the morning for the next few days."

"I understand." Sam said, as he watched his friend stand up and walked to his own office. Then he decided to call Naomi so she and Pete had an update as well.

_**2:57 pm – St. Ambrose Hospital**_

"I'm proud of you." Charlotte said, when her mother finally finished the extended version of her story. She played with her IV line for a few seconds before she confessed. "I'm afraid these medicines will help me fall back in to old patterns."

Mrs. King shook her head. "No, I don't believe that. You only need it for your physical pain now. Back then the medicine helped ease your emotional pain. You don't need it for that anymore. So once the physical pain is gone, you don't need the medicine anymore."

"I hope you're right." Charlotte said. "I…. I've been thinking a lot about him lately. I haven't thought about him for years, but now…"

"He would have been 18 now." Mrs. King said and Charlotte nodded.

"A man. A grown man. But he never got the chance to grow bigger than a baby born too early."

Mrs. King gave her a sympathetic smile. "When did you start thinking about him again?"

"A couple of months ago. We had two newlyweds as patients who had a pact to get married as virgins. But it turned out the girl didn't keep the pact and well, the boy wanted to leave her that day on their wedding night and I told him about my fairytale wedding and how we walked out on each other when things got rough. And that I still wonder sometimes what could have happened if we stayed together. Violet overheard us talking and she asked me if I ever told Cooper that I was married. I knew she would tell him if I didn't, so I decided to tell him. That's when things went wrong between us."

"I'm sorry." They heard, coming from the door opening.

"Violet." Charlotte sighed, slightly annoyed. "You really don't know how to knock do you?"

"I'm sorry." Violet said again. "I just came in, and I thought it was inappropriate to just walk in. And I wanted you to know that I overheard, I'm sorry." She smiled sympathetically. "Do you mind if I come in, or do you rather have I leave again?"

"Come in." Charlotte sighed. "You met my mother?"

Violet nodded.

"I'll let you two talk." Mrs. King said. "I'll be back tonight. I think I'll go grocery shopping because your fridge is completely empty."

"Cooper's fridge." Charlotte said and then with a gentle voice she added "I'll see you tonight."

Mrs. King kissed her daughters cheek and then left the room.

Violet sat down and looked at Charlotte.

"I send him away okay?" Charlotte said after a few seconds.

"Cooper?" Violet asked and Charlotte nodded.

"He has me right where he wants now, but I won't let him back in. I can't do that."

"What do you mean?" Violet asked.

"Don't go all therapeutic on me." Charlotte said, slightly annoyed.

"I'm not. I'm here as your friend. I promise." Violet said.

"You know the way he thinks." Charlotte said. "He needs women that are dependent on him. I've told him many times I'm too much a woman for him, but he didn't believe me. But he's angry that I bought him into the practice, and that I remodeled his bathroom without asking him first. He spent all his money and I make him feel less of a man. He wants to be needed and I didn't need him and when he found out I was already married once, he just didn't want to be with me anymore. I tried to fight for it, but that day he made it very clear that I wasn't what he wanted anymore. Just a sex toy he found on the internet."

"He said that?" Violet asked, while shaking her head. "Men are idiots sometimes. But I think we need them as much as they need us. Even when we pretend we're all independent and can handle things on our own."

"I was fine on my own before I met him. I was happy."

"And lonely." Violet added.

"Oh come on." Charlotte replied. "You don't really believe that do you?"

Violet raised her eyebrows. "I've known Cooper for quite a while now, and you know what I think? This whole thing had nothing to do with you. I think he was afraid."

"Afraid?" Charlotte asked, confused.

"He's a guy that dated lots of women, watched lots of porn and spent his money on new cars and electronics. And then he met you and fell in love and he started realizing that the life he was living wasn't what he wanted anymore. He wanted something more permanent. To live with you, build a new life together. But when it finally happened he got scared. Because he was no longer able to date other woman and spend his money on the things that were most important to him. He had someone else to consider with every big decision he made."

"Someone that wasn't afraid to do things for him." Charlotte cut in.

"Maybe that scared him even more, but I don't think that's the main reason. He used your not telling him about the marriage as an excuse to push you away. Whether he realized it or not. Because it was less scary to go back to his old life, than to know that he'd never have that again."

"Why are you telling me this?" Charlotte asked. "If that's what he wants he should've just said so."

"Because the past few days he realized something that scares him even more." Violet said.

"What's that?" Charlotte asked, curiously.

"What his life would be like if you weren't in it anymore. He realized how much he loves you and how much you mean to him. That's why he's been here every second since the accident happened. Thinking about everything that happened and how he can fix things."

"I'm not sure if that's what I want." Charlotte said.

"Because you were left once before." Violet said, secretly slipping into her therapist role.

"I know I messed things up with James. I got addicted to pain killers because they made me forget what happened to my son. They were the only thing that took away the pain I constantly felt. But when James was done with that I finally realized what I was doing to myself, and to our relationship and my father begged me to get real help. And I did. I got my act together and went back to him but he already moved on. He just moved on and forgot about me. As if he never even cared. Not about me, or our son."

"You were both so young." Violet tried to reason with her. "Have you ever talked to James again after that?"

Charlotte shook her head. "I wonder what happened to him sometimes. But it doesn't matter anymore. It's in the past. I have to think about the future now."

Violet nodded. "Sounds reasonable. But do you think there's still a place for Cooper in your future? I really think you two should talk. Because even though you're both strong and independent people, everyone needs someone in his or her life."

"Look who's talking." Charlotte said, but soon regretted it. "I'll take it back. You're being nice to me and I know what I've been through is nothing compared to you."

"It's just different." Violet said. "We all have a history." Then she sighed. "Give him a chance to explain things Charlotte. It will be like you told that boy that day in the office. If you don't, you will always wonder what could have been if you don't."

"Using my own words against me. That's mean Violet. Very mean." Charlotte said, but then had to admit that Violet was right. "Do you think he'll come back tonight? The nurses scared him away this afternoon."

"I think you're worth risking a life for." Violet smiled. "I'll call him if you like?" She asked and Charlotte nodded.

"I wouldn't mind if you did."

"Good. Now I think visiting hours are over so I'll go and let you rest for a while. Don't want to be scared away by the nurses either."

"Wouldn't risk it if I were you." Charlotte smiled. Then she said. "Thank you Violet. You're not really a bad person."

"Neither are you Charlotte." Violet said, and with that, she left.

**T.B.C.**


	12. Chapter 12

_A/N: Thanks to those who took the time to review. Here's the next chapter. I'll be honest in advance and tell you it's a bit of a filler, but I need Cooper and Charlotte alone at the hospital so they can really talk in the next chapter and needed this chapter to get that done. Hope you like it anyway._

_**5:12 pm – Cooper's apartment**_

When Cooper opened the door to his apartment he was welcomed by something that smelled delicious. Not used to walk in to the smell of food, he quickly hung up his coat and made his way to the kitchen to find out where the smell was coming from.

"Hello." Cooper said, as he found Mrs. King stirring some pots on his stove.

"Good afternoon." Mrs. King greeted him. "I hope you don't mind that I went through the cabinets to found the appliances I needed.

"Of course not." Cooper replied. "I told you to open everything up to find out what's inside. "May I ask what you're making?"

"Beef stew." Mrs. King told him. "Do you want to taste?"

"May I?" He asked and she took a tea spoon out of the drawer and put it inside the pot before slowly moving the spoon to his mouth.

"Careful it's hot." She warned him which made him blow lightly before taking the spoon in his mouth.

"That's delicious." Cooper told her.

"It should be ready in 10 minutes. Would you mind setting the table?"

"Of course not." Cooper replied as he opened another drawer to take out the table cloth. They worked in silence for a few minutes and while Mrs. King finished dinner, Cooper decided to freshen up a bit after he set the table.

When he came out of the bathroom a few minutes later dinner was ready on the table.

"Do you mind drinking water with your dinner?" Mrs. King asked when Cooper came into view. "I would have bought a bottle of wine, but AA tells me I'm not allowed inside a liquor store."

"Water is fine." Cooper replied. "You've already gone through so much trouble making me this dinner. I can't even remember when someone made me dinner like this."

"Yeah, Charlotte isn't one to cook." Mrs. King said which made Cooper smile.

"Not at all. But that's alright." He took a bite of his dinner. "I think the last time I tasted something this delicious is when my mom cooked for me. That must have been years ago."

"Are your parents still alive?" Mrs. King asked and Cooper nodded.

"But they travel a lot and I'm busy with work so we hardly ever see each other. I think I should call them one day soon."

"You should." Mrs. King said, as she took another bite. "To tell you the truth it's been a while since I cooked dinner like this. It's not much fun to spend hours in the kitchen when you're just cooking for yourself. I tried to invite my boys over for dinner together with their families a few times, but they end up asking me over each time. Both their wives are wonderful cooks so I don't mind."

"But it would be nice to make dinner for them sometimes." Cooper knowingly replied.

"Yeah." Mrs. King replied, sadly.

"Then tell them that." Cooper said. "They probably think they're doing you a favor by inviting you to their homes. Just tell them you'd like to make them dinner once in a while. So that you feel…"

"Needed again." Mrs. King added, knowing where Cooper was aiming at. "You're right. Once I'm home I will tell them that."

Cooper smiled. Then he finally asked the question he'd been wanting to ask ever since he came home. "How's Charlotte?"

"A bit tired, but she was doing okay. We had a good talk this afternoon. Then your friend… Violet was her name?" Cooper nodded. "Violet showed up and I decided to give them some time to talk and went grocery shopping."

"Violet was at the hospital?" Cooper asked. "No wonder she wasn't at the office."

"You went to work?"

"Yeah. I didn't know what else to do and I had to clear my mind. Do you think Charlotte would want me to come back tonight?" Before Mrs. King could answer that question Cooper's cell phone rang. "I'm sorry." He said, as he took it out of his pocket and stood up before answer. "Hello."

"Cooper it's me, Violet."

"Hey." Cooper said as he walked to his bedroom so he could talk in private. "I heard you visited Charlotte this afternoon."

"That's why I'm calling." Violet replied.

"How is she?" Cooper asked, almost cutting off his friend.

"She's doing okay. We had a nice conversation. I'm starting to understand her more and more."

Cooper smiled. "I never thought you two could be friends."

"Me neither." Violet replied honestly. "But she's a good person Coop."

"I know." He sighed. "She was just so mad earlier this afternoon. I really wonder if she'll ever forgive me."

"I honestly think she will. She's willing to hear you out anyway. She asked me if I wanted to call you and ask you if you were willing to come back to the hospital tonight. She would have called herself, but she was so tired. I think she fell asleep the minute I left her room."

A big smile appeared on Cooper's face. "She'll have me back? That's great. I never thought she would."

"But Cooper, you're going to have to be honest to her. You have to tell her about your feelings. For real this time. I think that's the only way you can fix things. You both have to be honest to each other."

"I know. I realize that now. I will tell her what I've told you, and more."

"Good." Violet said.

"Can you do me one favor though?" Cooper asked. "I was at the office earlier this afternoon and I'm afraid they might show up at the hospital tonight. I told Sam they can visit if they want to, but when I'm talking to Charlotte, I can't have them around."

"Too many visitors are too tiring for her anyways." Violet said. "I'll call Addison after we hang up. She'll tell the others I'm sure. Besides, I highly doubt if Naomi wants to come anyway."

"Did I miss something while I was gone?" Cooper asked.

"Maya's pregnant." Violet said.

"Oh… ouch. 15 years right?"

Violet nodded but when she realized he wouldn't be able to see that she said. "Yeah. Only 15 years old. Naomi wants her to have an abortion but Maya doesn't want it."

"I thought Naomi was against abortion." Cooper said then raised his shoulders. "Do you think there's something we should do, for them I mean? Sam didn't mention this when I talked to him earlier."

"I guess it's not something that's easy to talk about. They'll just need time to heal, to adjust."

"You're probably right." Cooper said. "Thanks for calling me Violet. And thanks for visiting Charlotte. That means a lot."

"I wouldn't have it any other way Coop." Violet replied. "I'll call you tomorrow."

"Now I can't be at the hospital full time I decided to see some patients in the morning. So I'll see you at the office."

"Alright. Then I'll talk to you there." Violet said, and with that they ended the call.

Cooper slid his phone back in his pocket and walked back to the kitchen. "I'm sorry about that." He told Mrs. King.

"No problem." Mrs. King replied. "Was that your friend Violet?"

"Yeah. She told me Charlotte wants me to come back tonight."

"I'm glad." Mrs. King replied. "I really think the two of you should work things out."

"Me too." Cooper replied. "Violet will make sure there won't be any other visitors besides us at the hospital tonight. That way we can talk in private."

"I won't mind staying here tonight." Mrs. King replied. "Then the two of you can really talk."

"No." Cooper shook his head. "That's not what I meant. You should go see her. You're her mother."

"I know. But I was able to talk to her by myself for almost an hour this afternoon. You take this time to talk to her. To explain things. The two of you need that."

"You don't have to stay away on my behalf. We can take 30 minutes each if you like?"

"Maybe tomorrow. I'm kind of tired anyway so I wouldn't mind staying here. Read a book or watch some TV."

He knew it was a lie, but it was a big effort on her behalf so he decided to take the offer. "I would like that. Thank you."

"Good. You'll tell her how you feel about her, right?" She asked him. "And don't be mad at her that she didn't tell you about James and the baby."

"I'm not mad about that anymore." He said. "I will also tell her that."

"Good. Now put on a clean shirt and make your way towards that hospital so I can clean up this mess. " She told him with a pointed look on her face.

"Yes ma'am." He said with a big smile. And he couldn't help but really feel like things would be okay.

**T.B.C**


	13. Chapter 13

_A/N: First, thanks to all who took the time to review. Second, I want to explain something about my updating pattern. I know you all want me to update daily, or probably even a few times a day. But I'm working a full time job and have my family to take care of. I'm writing as a hobby. Because after watching Cooper and Charlotte fall apart on the show, they've been on my mind quite a lot. And it's better to write how I want to see it, then to wait and see if maybe they'll fix things on the show. And this website is the perfect way to share the stories I write with you. With every story I've written in the past, I never updated this regularly before. I try to update this one every other day. Sometimes it's a day sooner, sometimes a day later but that depends on my work schedule and how much time I have to write. I don't have chapters waiting. I'm writing one, then update, then write the next. I will go away for a long weekend Friday morning and have tomorrow off from work so I'll do my best to write and update another chapter, but I don't want to make any promises. I just hope that whenever I can update will be enough for you and want to ask you to be patient.  
__Enough about that, and on with the story because that's what you've been waiting for. The talk between Charlotte and Cooper._

_**8:57 pm – St Ambrose Hospital**_

"I'm going to check on Dr. King." Sheila Anderson told her colleague Marg.

"She's probably asleep." Marg replied. "She was hardly able to eat her dinner because she was so tired."

"I know. Poor thing." Sheila said. "I'm just going to hang another bag of saline. Then she'll make it through the night and we won't have to disturb her again."

"Sounds good. She needs her sleep." Marg said as she handed her colleague a saline bag.

Sheila carefully opened the door to Charlotte's room and was surprised to find two sleeping people in the room. Charlotte was lying in bed, and a man was sitting on a chair beside it, his head resting on Charlotte's mattress. Neither of them woke up when Sheila entered the room and changed the saline bag. She checked the other medicine pumps and they were all working properly and were filled enough to make it through the night. She knew she would have to send that man away, but even in his sleep he seemed somewhat exhausted and yet satisfied. So she decided to let it go. She took a blanket from the cabinet and carefully placed it over his shoulders. She held her breath as he shifted slightly, but he remained sleeping. And so did Charlotte. She looked at both of them again and smiled, before leaving the room.

_**1.5 hours earlier**_

Cooper nervously cut the sterns of the bouquet of roses and accidently cut himself on a prickle. "Ouch." He silently cursed as he put his finger in his mouth and sucked up the blood. Then he continued cutting the sterns at the far end and placed the roses in the vase. He was done at exactly 7 o clock and nervously walked towards Charlotte's room. He had been looking forward to this conversation, but he was afraid as well. What if she was still mad at him and wasn't able to forgive him? What if she wouldn't understand his side of the story? He knew there was only one way to find out, and that was to go inside. So after taking a deep breath, he finally opened the door to her room and stepped inside.

Charlotte was slightly sitting up in bed. He couldn't help but notice immediately how tired she looked. He put the vase with roses on her nightstand and she smiled. "They're beautiful."

"Beautiful roses for a beautiful woman." He replied as he took a seat next to her bed. Then he slid forward and kissed the top of her nose. "How are you feeling?"

"Exhausted." She replied honestly.

"Do you want me to come back another time?" He asked.

She shook her head. "Don't go. I'll be alright."

"You need your rest." He told her pointedly.

"I slept after Violet left this afternoon. They woke me up for dinner, and then I slept some more. I don't mind being awake for a while." She told him and he smiled.

"Good. Then I didn't come all the way for nothing. I'm glad you'd still have me."

"I'm sorry that I sent you away earlier. Violet explained some things to me. I understand it better now."

Cooper shook his head. "You don't have to apologize. If anyone has to it's me. I've been such a jerk these past few months. I would understand if you would never look at me again. I deserve that."

"But…" She started to say but he cut her off.

"Let me say what I have to say first. Then you can go."

She nodded, letting him know that was alright.

"When we first started going out, there was no meaning to our relationship. It was just about sex. Which was the kind of dating I was used to. That's what we were both looking for as we found each other on the internet and that was fine. But after a while I got to know you better, and I wanted more. I had to go through quite a lot of trouble to get you to agree to talking and regular dates. Then, when things got even more serious I wanted nothing more than a future with you. I've always wanted a family, kids, the whole package. I just never found the right person to get that with, and with you, I really wanted it.

When you were holding back, that moved me to continue to fight for what I wanted. But when we finally did move in together, I suddenly got scared. When you remodeled my bathroom I realized that I've acted like a teenager. I spent all my money on porn, fast cars and electronics and even though I wanted that whole package, I never saved up for it. And you did. You had the money to remodel the bathroom, and you were able to pay the 50 grand I needed to buy Naomi out, and had enough left to buy yourself in as well.

I couldn't help but feel like you were more invested in our relationship than I was, and I was disappointed in myself. And even more when you chose a grown up specialty at the practice. I became a pediatrician because part of me is still a kid and I can better relate to them than I can with most grown ups. So I became scared and started thinking less of myself.

When you told me you were married before but didn't tell me anything else, I guess I used that as an excuse to push you away. I suddenly felt like a child that didn't want things to change. I still wanted to spend my money on the things I liked instead of having to think about saving it and to think about you when I purchase expensive things. And I got scared at the thought that you were going to be the only woman in my life. And that's when I pushed you away." He sighed as he took a few seconds to collect his breath. "All the things I said to you, the names I called you…"

"That hurt." She admitted.

"I think I wanted to hurt you. I know I did, otherwise I wouldn't have said those things. But I shouldn't have because deep down I didn't even agree with the things that came out of my mouth. I was just so angry at myself, and I took it all out on you. And because of that you're here in the hospital. Badly hurt because I've been such a jerk. And I don't think I can ever forgive myself for that. And I don't expect you to forgive me either."

When he remained silent she took that as her cue to speak. "My mother told you about my marriage, and about my son. And also how the marriage ended. When Jack died, I couldn't take the pain and I welcomed the valium they gave me to calm me down. Because I didn't feel the pain when I used the drugs. Especially in combination with the pain killers they gave me. I was able to go home from the hospital at the day of Jack's funeral. James took me and that was the most horrible day of my life. The little casket that held my son's body inside. When it was lowered to the ground… if I had a gun I would have shot myself right at that moment….." She heard Cooper gasp, but he remained silent.

"Once we came home from the funeral I took the pills out of my purse, crawled in bed and swallowed a few just so I wouldn't feel a thing. And it worked. The pain was gone and I slept for hours. Without Jack hunting me in my dreams. And that worked for me, so the next day I took more pills and soon I was addicted and couldn't get through the day without those pills. It wasn't until James asked my parents for help, months later, that I realized what I was doing to myself and my life. He filed for divorce, but I expected that he would turn around once I was off the meds. But I was wrong. After I went through that detox program I went back to James and found out he was already living with someone else. My heart broke again and I wanted nothing more than to take more pills. But I realized I couldn't fall back in old patterns and decided to get my life together. Without men this time.

I went to medschool and I didn't want any men in my life. It wasn't until I became chief of staff of this hospital that I realized my need to have physical contact in my life. But I wanted physical contact without the emotions and I found that through those men on the internet. And that was enough. That is until I met you. I realized I was falling in love with you rather soon, but I couldn't let you in. Because I knew I'd end up hurt. But every time I did something stupid that should have definitely sent you away, you stayed. And that's when I started to trust you. Even though I ended up hurt a few times myself.

A few weeks after I moved in with you I sold my apartment. I thought it would be on the market for a while, and if things got rough in between, I could always take it off the market. But I ended up selling it within a week."

"You sold your apartment?" He asked, shocked. "I thought you rented the place. I never…"

"I wanted to show you that I was committed. That I was in this for the long run."

"And all I've done was push you away." He shook his head as he was angry with himself. "I'm so sorry Charlotte. I really do understand if you never want to see me again."

"A few weeks ago I told you I would continue to say I'm sorry until you finally forgave me for lying." She said, remembering the day he came home after Heather died.

"But all the things I said after that. I don't deserve forgiveness. You've warned me that you were too much of a woman to me. And I guess you turned out to be right."

"Do you still feel that way?" She asked, as she silently played with the sheets of her bed.

He shook his head. "You shouldn't think I'm only here because you need help right now, because that's not true."

"I'm sorry I said that." She said.

"I understand that you did." He swallowed. "You just told me that the day of Jack's funeral was the worst day of your life. The worst of mine is the day that dr. Walker called me and told me you were in a car accident and I had to come down there as soon as possible… I thought my heart stopped beating when he told me that. And I was so scared I was going to lose you. When I finally saw you in the ICU room, with that big bandage around your head, I was so afraid you would never wake up, and I would never be able to tell you how much I love you."

"You do love me?" She asked.

He nodded. "More than anything in this world Charlotte." Then he grabbed something out of his pocket.

"What's that?" She asked.

"I've been carrying this around for quite a while now." He said as he handed her the small velvet box. "It's about time I give it to you."

"May I open it?" She asked and he nodded. She took the box in her casted hand and opened the lit with the fingers of her good hand. Inside she found a beautiful golden ring. "Coop." She whispered.

"We've talked about marriage in the past, but never in the right way. I want to ask you now, but even more so I want to give you this ring as a promise that I'm fully committed to this relationship. That I want to spend the rest of my life with you. That I want to share all my good and bad memories with you. And that I'm willing to wait until you're ready to tell me about yours. And that I understand now that there may be things you will never tell me, but that's okay. I want you. I want to take care of you and I want you to take care of me. I want to be your partner, your lover and your best friend."

"And my husband." She whispered.

"If you'd still have me." He whispered back.

She looked at the ring, then back up at him. "I do."

He smiled. Then he took the ring from the box and slid it around her finger before kissing her lips.

After he broke the kiss she smiled but it soon turned into a yawn. She put her left hand in front of her mouth to cover it. "I guess I'm tired."

"Go to sleep. I'll stay with you for a while."

"But the nurses?" She asked, knowing how they could react.

"I'm not afraid of them anymore." He said with a smile. Then he kissed her once more before placing his head on the mattress so he could watch her sleep.

**T.B.C.**


	14. Chapter 14

_A/N: Once again thanks to all who took the time to review. I'm glad you liked the talk. I managed to write another chapter today so I'll give it to you now. Will leave first thing tomorrow moring and won't be back until Monday evening so the first chance I'll have to write again is Tuesday. Hope you won't mind (not that I'll give up my women's get-a-way for it, but still ;))_

_**9:32 am – Monroeville Alabama**_

'_Are you ready to go?' James asked, when he walked into Charlotte's hospital room._

'_Yeah, I just signed my discharge papers.' Charlotte replied, as she studied her husband. 'What's with the suit?'_

'_Today's his funeral Charlotte.' James replied, as he refused to say his son's name._

'_I don't want to go.' She replied._

'_I know.' He said. 'But you have no choice.'_

'_That's why you brought me this black dress to wear and nothing else. You tricked me.' Charlotte muttered, mad._

'_I know you. But we have to say goodbye to our son.'_

'_I said goodbye to him when I held him that day.' Charlotte said. 'Unlike you. You wouldn't even look at him.'_

_James snapped. 'I don't care what you think about me. I just couldn't because I'd rather not know what he looked like, than to see his death face in front of me for the rest of my life.'_

'_He looked like you.' She yelled back. 'His nose, his ears. He was a mini version of you.'_

'_Then that's the image I'll keep in my mind. I don't need to see him. The casket will be closed later.'_

'_You never even asked me what I wanted.' She said, dropping her tone a little._

'_I tried. But it's a bit hard to talk to you when you're completely drugged.'_

'_Let's just get the hell out of here.' She said, not having the energy to fight anymore. _

_James pushed the wheelchair towards her so she could sit down._

'_I'm perfectly capable of walking.' Charlotte said as she looked at the wheelchair in disgust. _

'_It's hospital policy. If you don't want me pushing that chair I'll call a nurse, but you're going in there.'_

'_Fine.' She said, as she sat down and put her bag with belongings in her lap. _

_She remained silent the rest of the way towards the car, and the car ride to the church. Many cars were parked outside and she knew she had to face all those people. She didn't want to but obviously she had no choice. James glanced at her. 'You ready to go in?' He asked, more genuine this time. 'I know this is hard, but we'll have to go through this together.'_

'_I'm okay.' She whispered as she opened the car door. _

_James got out himself and rushed to her side of the car, helping her. He supported her weight when they walked inside. Charlotte suddenly stopped death in her tracks as she saw her parents sitting in the front row. 'What's she doing here?' She whispered madly, as she took in her mother._

'_Your parents belong here, Charlotte.'_

'_Not my mother.' She said. 'It's all her fault.'_

'_Please don't make a scene Charlotte.' James begged her. 'I know how you feel, but please, this is not the time, or the place. Be civil, for him.'_

'_Jack.' She said. 'His name is Jack.'_

'_I know.' He said, as he still refused to speak the name out loud. 'Now please move. Everybody's starring at us.'_

_Charlotte nodded as she grabbed James' arm again and slowly they started moving again. She sat down at the other side of the aisle, as far away from her mother as possible. With a sigh James sat down next to her. _

_She didn't hear what was said during the ceremony. And James had to support her even more when they walked towards the cemetery, the small casket carried by both her brothers in front of her. They placed the casket on top of the construction that would lower it into the ground later. A sob escaped from her lips as she watched that, and James' grip tightened around. She just closed her eyes, because she couldn't see how her son was lowered into the ground. She couldn't help but feel that she belonged in that casket, and he should have been able to live the life he deserved._

_After the funeral they were supposed to go back inside for coffee, but she couldn't stand all those people who felt sorry for them. She couldn't feel the pain any longer. 'I want to go home.' She whispered to James and for once, he agreed without protest._

_Once they got home she grabbed the pills from her purse and swallowed down a few. 'I'm going to bed. I'm tired.' She said, and didn't even wait for an answer before walking towards their bedroom._

_She awoke a couple of hours later, and a young man was sitting on the bed next to her. She studied the man's face and couldn't help but notice the similarities to James' facial lines. But it wasn't the same. His hair was longer, and slightly lighter. And his eyes had the same color as hers. _

'_Hello mom. Glad you finally woke up.' Jack said. _

_She blinked a few times, trying to tell herself that this wasn't true. It couldn't be. 'You're not real.' She said, as she stared at him. 'How many pills did I take?'_

'_More than you should have. You're just like your mother. It's your fault I never had a chance.' He said. 'I would have gone to med school by now. I was supposed to become a gifted surgeon. I could have won a Nobel price. It's your fault I was never meant to be.'_

_She shook her head. 'It was my mother. If she hadn't pushed me to go to that stupid party we wouldn't have been on that road that day. Why are her friends more important to her than me? Why does she have to be drunk all the time.'_

'_As if you're any better than her.' Jack said. 'You may need a few pain killers for the real physical pain, but you don't need that valium. Grow up Charlotte.'_

_Charlotte blinked a few times and suddenly it was James in front of her. 'Tell me, how many of those pills did you take? You've been out of it for hours. This is not the right way to deal with this Charlotte.'_

"Charlotte." Cooper gently shook her shoulder. "Charlotte wake up."

"No. You can't blame this on me." She said. "I didn't want this to happen."

"Charlotte, honey wake up."

Charlotte slowly opened her eyes and was surprised to see Cooper standing above her.

"You were having a nightmare." He said, as he kissed her. "I'm glad you're awake now."

Charlotte breathed heavily as she tried to calm herself down a little.

"Do you want me to go get someone?" Cooper asked, worried.

Charlotte shook her head. "Please, don't leave me."

"I won't leave you. I promise."

She leaned her body towards his and he wrapped his big arms around her. They remained like this for quite some time, until Charlotte finally calmed down.

"Do you want to talk about it?" Cooper asked.

Charlotte shook her head. "Like you said, it was just a bad dream."

"It helps to talk about it." Cooper pressed. "I'm here for you."

"I know." She replied, as she took another deep breath.

"Did you have this dream before?" He asked.

She nodded as she knew he wouldn't let this go. "Every now and then." She confessed.

"About Jack?" He asked.

She nodded again. "About his funeral. That's the realistic part. The unrealistic part is where I'm in bed and he sits next to me as a young man. I think about 18 years old. He blames me for his death. He says that he was supposed to become a gifted surgeon. That he was supposed to win a Nobel price."

"It's not your fault Charlotte." Cooper said and she nodded.

"I know. It's just… this dream is so real."

"Maybe you subconsciously feel guilty and had that dream for him. Every parents wants their kid to be special."

"I wanted him to become something. I didn't care as long as he would have been happy. My father always had these big dreams for me and my brothers. I just wanted my child to be happy. But he never even got a chance to live." Charlotte said, as a tear slowly made its way down her cheek.

Cooper wiped the tear away with his thumb. "You didn't deserve to lose him."

Charlotte sighed. "But I did. And it broke me."

"But you're in a good place right now, right?" He asked, worried that she might change her mind about his proposal.

"I'm getting there. I just can't help but wonder sometimes what it would have been like if things were different. But I know I'll never know."

"I know." Cooper said as he placed a kiss on her forehead. Then he decided to change the subject, because he knew he couldn't take away her pain. "The doctor stopped by earlier when you were still asleep. He said they'll clamp the chest-tube and take out the central line later today. If that goes alright, they will take out the chest-tube tonight and move you to a regular department. Then they'll start you on physical therapy tomorrow."

"And get me back on my feet." She added.

Cooper smiled. "That might take a while with that fractured femur of yours. Won't be easy to walk on crutches with a casted wrist."

"I'll make it work." She said with new determination. "I can do anything."

"I know you can." He said. "I'll go tell the nurses you're up so they can provide you with breakfast."

"What time is it?" She asked.

"Almost 7.30" He said, while checking his watch.

"They didn't sent you away." She stated.

Cooper raised his shoulder. I think I fell asleep when I watched you sleep yesterday. I was as surprised as you are when I woke up earlier."

"Must have been uncomfortable for you." She said, but he raised his shoulder.

"It was worth it. This way I could sleep close to my new fiancée." He held his breath while he waited to see what she would say or do next, but released it when a smile appeared on her face as she watched the ring on her left finger.

"It was a pretty good talk we had yesterday."

"It sure was." He replied. "I'll go get that nurse now. I'll drive by our apartment and change, then go to work. Don't want to be late on my first day back."

"Coop?" Charlotte asked, when he wanted to walk away.

"I was coming back to kiss you after I talked to the nurses." He said.

"That's not it." She replied. "I was just wondering…. Will you let me tell my mom about the engagement?"

"Of course." He said. "Do you mind if I tell Violet about it later? I know she'll ask how things went."

She shook her head. "I don't mind. I just want to tell my mother myself. Before, I didn't care what she would say, but I really think she changed. And it would be nice to tell her about it myself."

"You may." He said. "I'll go now alright?"

"Alright." She said and he leaned forward to kiss her goodbye.

**T.B.C.**


	15. Chapter 15

_A/N: Sorry it took a while to post this story, but after the long weekend away I was kind of stuck and didn't know where to take this story. Then I realized that's because I got these two right where I wanted, and this story where I wanted to take it. So this is the last chapter, and only an epilogue will follow in a few days. Please read and review. _

_**8:12 pm – St. Ambrose Hospital**_

"Good morning." Melissa Watts said when she entered Charlotte's room.

"Morning." Charlotte said, when she pushed herself up a little.

"My name is Melissa. I'll be your nurse for today."

"I'm Charlotte." Charlotte replied and Melissa smiled.

"I know."

"Right." Charlotte said, realizing almost everyone in this hospital knew who she was and probably that she was a patient now as well.

"How was your breakfast?" Melissa asked, as she took the tray from the nightstand.

"Just fine." She replied.

"I want to change the bandage around your head today. Maybe I can wash part of your hair. I just need to be careful so the stitches won't get wet."

"That would be nice." Charlotte said, as she pushed herself a bit farther up.

Melissa took the breakfast tray to the hallway and came back with a bandage cart. When Charlotte sat up straight Melissa took a pair of special scissors and started to cut through the bandage around her head. Charlotte could feel the bandage stuck in to her hair and part of her skin, but she put her teeth together and let Melissa work. Melissa was very careful and almost 5 minutes later the old bandage was gone.

"Can I see it?" Charlotte asked.

"Are you sure?" Melissa replied, knowing it could be shocking to see a big head wound with the bruises and even more so the sticky, blood stained hair.

Charlotte nodded "I've seen it before. I can handle it."

"Alright then. But let me try and wash it a little first." Melissa said, as she pulled the cart even closer. She carefully and thoroughly washed Charlotte's hair and then dried it, being careful she stayed away from the stitches. Then she took a brush and started combing Charlotte's hair. When she was finished she finally took a mirror and handed it to Charlotte.

Charlotte looked at herself and couldn't help but gasp. There were multiple old bruises all over her face and neckline that started to become yellow and green. Her hair looked nothing like it was before. They shaved part of it before surgery and the stitches were unmistaken. She was lucky to be a woman with long hair. Although it would take a while to grow back.

"You won't see any of it in a few months." Melissa said, guessing Charlotte's thoughts.

"I know." Charlotte said, but she had to wipe away a tear that appeared in the corner of her eye. She was happy Melissa pretended not to have seen it.

"Do you want to try and wash the rest yourself or should I help you?" Melissa asked, while taking the mirror from Charlotte's hands.

"I would like to try it myself." Charlotte said, because that was the first step to some independence.

"Alright." Melissa filled a washbasin with fresh water and put it on Charlotte's nightstand together with a washcloth and a towel. She put Charlotte's toiletry bag next to it so she had everything within reach. "I'll go check on some other patients. I'll be back in a while to check on you. Just press the call button if you need anything."

"Thank you." Charlotte said as she put the washcloth in the basin. When she pulled it out she realized it was hard to wring it out with only one hand, but after a while she managed and she carefully washed her face, then other parts of her body. When she was finished she took her toilet brush out of her bag and carefully held it with her casted hand so she could put on the tooth paste, and then brushed her teeth. When she was done she wanted to call Melissa so she could put on a clean shirt, but decided to rest her eyes a few minutes. She was exhausted from all the hard work. When Melissa came in to check on Charlotte not even a minute later, she was already asleep.

_**9:33 pm – Oceanside wellness**_

Cooper had been smiling ever since he walked out of Charlotte's room this morning. Even in his best dreams he hadn't thought the things would evolve the way they did. He already saw 2 patients this morning, and finally had time for a coffee break.

He ran into Violet in the break room. He pretended nothing was different when he poured himself a cup of coffee, but he could feel her eyes pricking in his back.

"What?" He asked, when he finally turned around to face her.

"Seems like things went alright yesterday." Violet replied, as she studied Cooper's face.

"How so?"

"You can't seem to wash that big grin off your face." Violet said.

"Is it that obvious?" Cooper asked.

Violet smiled. "I'm happy for you Cooper. You and Charlotte belong together."

"I really believe you're right." Cooper replied. "I don't know what you said to her yesterday, but I'm so glad she was willing to talk. I was finally able to tell her about my feelings. It really seems that she forgave me for the way I acted. Don't know if I ever can, but I'm glad she does."

"You will Cooper. It might take a while, but in the end you'll move past it."

Cooper silently nodded, then he said. "Do you know what the best part of it is?"

"Well?" She asked curiously.

"She finally agreed to marry me."

"You asked her to marry you?" Violet asked, slightly shocked. She recovered fast and hugged her best friend. "That's great Cooper. I'm so happy for you."

"Thank you." Cooper replied.

Then the other walked into the break room and Addison asked. "What are we celebrating?

"Cooper's engaged." Violet replied before Cooper could.

"That's great. Congratulations." Addison said, as she hugged her colleague. Then Sam shook his hand and congratulated him as well, followed by Dell.

"How about I'll go downstairs and buy us some cake to go with this coffee?" Cooper asked when the others all started chatting. Because he definitely had something to celebrate today.

_**3.00 pm – St. Ambrose Hospital**_

Mrs. King carefully opened the door to Charlotte's room and saw her daughter sitting up. The big bandage she had around her head yesterday was replaced by a much smaller one. "Hey, you look good." She said, when she kissed her daughter's cheek.

"Thanks. I washed myself this morning." Charlotte replied proudly.

Mrs. King smiled as she sat down next to the bed. "I remember the first time you dressed yourself. I think you were almost 2,5 years old at the time. I had dressed you that morning in this beautiful pink dress, but you hated it. You already knew what you liked and didn't like, and this new pink dress wasn't it for you. But I told you I was your mother and I could decide what you were wearing until you were at least 6 years old. But after a few hours you snuck upstairs to your room and pulled your entire wardrobe upside down. I found you half an hour later dressed in a pair of pink jeans and a green sweater together with your sandals. Even though it was mid winter."

Charlotte smiled. "I'm glad my taste in clothes became better within time."

"Me too. Although I believe you did it just to piss me off. The next morning I decided that we could decide on your clothes together and you picked out a normal pair of jeans to go with that sweater and your boots to wear outside. So you could do it."

Charlotte's smile grew bigger. "I don't remember it."

"You were so young." Mrs. King said.

Charlotte nodded. "You're right. I was so young. But still it's nice to hear about that time."

"I have more stories for you. Just ask me whatever you want to know."

Charlotte thought for a while. Then she finally asked. "How did Big Daddy propose to you?"

"Oh my." Mrs. King said. "That was one question I didn't expect you to ask."

"Don't you remember?" Charlotte asked.

"Of course I do. As the day of yesterday." Mrs. King said and Charlotte smiled. "I knew he was up to something because he had been nervous all day long. We'd gone for a walk in the woods and walked around for hours. Then finally we ended up in this small restaurant and he ordered champagne and when it arrived, he dropped down on one knee."

"Did you know you wanted to say yes right away?" Charlotte asked.

Mrs. King nodded. "I was so in love with him. I wanted nothing more than to spend the rest of my life with him."

"Do you ever regret marrying him?" Charlotte asked.

Mrs. King shook her head. "No. It wasn't an easy life and I regret many things, but not marrying your father. I loved him more than I ever thought possible."

"Good." Charlotte said as she looked down at the sheets.

"Why are you suddenly asking?" Mrs. King asked, slightly confused.

Charlotte moved her left hand towards her mother and Mrs. King gasped when she saw the ring on Charlotte's finger. "You're engaged." She said, when she finally found her voice.

Charlotte nodded, as she glanced at her mother. She was afraid she wouldn't approve of the marriage but then she saw the big smile on her mother's face and all her worries were gone.

Mrs. King stood up so she could hug her daughter. "That's wonderful news Charlotte. I'm glad you worked things out with Cooper. He really is a good guy."

Charlotte nodded. "We had a really good talk yesterday and in the end he gave me this ring. I just knew that it was right."

"And then it is." Mrs. King said. "Don't be scared Charlotte. Things that happened in the past, they won't happen this time. Cooper's in for real. He really loves you."

"I know." Charlotte said, because for the first time in a long time, she realized that thing were alright. It took an accident for both of them to realize what they were doing and that they had to be honest with each other to make things work. But she was slowly getting better. With the central line gone, and the chest tube almost ready to be taken out, she could start physical therapy and work on getting out of the hospital and to go back home. And even though Cooper's apartment was smaller than hers was, she really did feel at home there.

She saw Cooper in the door opening and smiled. He was the man she wanted to spend the rest of her life and she was never more certain of anything in her life. And from the big smile on his face, she knew he felt the same way.

**The end **


	16. Epilogue

_A/N: Here it is, finally. The epilogue to this story. I want to thank all of you who to the time to read this story, and even more so each one of you who took the time to review. I appreciate every single one of them. Please don't forget to leave a review for this one._

**_August 7 2010 – 10:33 am – Monroeville Alabama_**

"Are you ready?" Cooper asked as he looked at the woman sitting next to him.

"As ready as I'll ever be." She answered.

Cooper showed her a sympathetic smile, then opened the door on his side of the car, got out and walked to the passenger side of the car to help Charlotte out.

They slowly made their way to their destination. Walking slowly, hand in hand. If you looked closely you could see she still limped a little from the accident, but most of all she fully recovered. Fortunately there were no complications from the brain trauma and all the broken bones healed just fine. She was tired a bit faster than she used to but she learned to cope and tried to take things as easy as possible.

Today was a difficult day for Charlotte. It was exactly 18 years ago that Jack died. After his funeral she never went back to his grave. But this year she felt like going. After she told Cooper about the marriage, and even more so after the accident, she thought about her son a lot, and missed him more than ever. And this year, it was time to say goodbye for real.

When she asked Cooper if he would accompany her to Monroeville he didn't doubt it for a second. He let her take care of the plane tickets and yesterday they finally flew in. For the first time in a long time Charlotte actually looked forward to stay with her mother for a few days, even given the circumstances to why they were going.

"It's right there." Charlotte said, as she pointed to a small headstone standing in between many large ones.

"You go ahead." Cooper said, knowing she would need a while alone.

Charlotte nodded to let him know that's what she wanted and he squeezed her hand before he released it. She noticed she felt nervous as she walked to the small grave. But she was brave and kneeled down in front of the tiny head stone.

Jack Armond August 7 1992Our baby boy, who never had a chance, but who will be in our hearts forever

"Hey sweetheart." She whispered, as she traced the headstone with her fingers. "I'm sorry I've never been here before." She swallowed, and noticed the grave was kept clean by someone. So someone had been taking care of her baby boy. She wondered who that was. "I'm glad someone took care of you here, when I couldn't. I hope you'll understand I never forgot about you. I just…. It was hard for me to come here. I still feel guilty that I couldn't have kept you safe that day. But I understand now that there was nothing I could have done. I just hope you're in a good place, where someone loves you as much as I do."

She swallowed hard as she had to wipe the tears that were rolling down her cheeks away. Then she felt a hand on her shoulder and she sensed someone kneeling down next to her. She looked up, expecting to find Cooper's eyes, but was surprised to see someone else. The man looked familiar somehow, but she had to blink twice before she realized who it was. "James." She whispered.

"Hello Charlotte." James replied as he studied the woman he once married.

She looked down at the headstone, then back up to her ex-husband. "Do you come here often?"

"Each year on his birthday." James said. "I never saw you here before."

"I couldn't… before. But I came now." She said.

"I'm glad you're here. Do you need some more time with Jack?" James said, and this was the first time Charlotte heard him say his son's name.

Charlotte shook her head. "I just wanted to say goodbye." Then she looked back at the headstone and whispered. "I love you baby boy." Then kissed her fingers and placed them on top of the headstone, lingering them for a few seconds before she pulled away. After that she stood up and told James to take his time.

She walked back to Cooper and was surprised to see a woman and two children next to him.

"Hello." She said, when she reached the small group. Then she reached out her hand to the woman. "I'm Charlotte."

The woman took her hand. "I'm Louisa." Then she pointed to her two children. "This is my daughter Abby, and this is my son, James Jr."

"We all agreed that it would be nice to go and get something to drink together. Is that alright with you?" Cooper asked, as he grabbed Charlotte's hand in his.

"That would be nice." Charlotte said, although it felt a bit awkward to have her old and her new husband together. From the way Cooper squeezed her hand she realized that he knew how she felt.

After a few uncomfortable seconds James found his way to the group. "Shall we go?" He asked, when his hand found Louisa's. "There's a nice diner not too far from here. You can follow me if you like. Unless you know a better place." He said, facing Charlotte.

"You lead the way. I haven't been here in quite a while."

"Alright then." He replied, as they all started walking.

A couple of minutes later they were all seated at a table in the diner, their drink orders already taken by the waitress.

"So," James said, realizing no-one made an effort to talk. "I think Louisa introduced herself and the kids."

"She did." Charlotte replied. "And I'm sure Cooper introduced himself too."

James nodded. "It's weird isn't it, seeing each other after all this time."

"Yeah." Charlotte whispered and under the table Cooper's hand found hers again.

"I didn't know you remarried." James said, as he looked at Charlotte's other hand that was lying on top of the table.

"Two weeks ago actually." Charlotte replied with a smile. "Cooper and I have been dating for a while now, and it was time to make things official."

"No honeymoon?" James asked, surprised the two of them had only been married for such a short time.

"We went to Paris for one week." Charlotte replied.

"Ah, the city of love." James smiled. "When Louisa and I got married we didn't have that much money so we went to Florida."

"Miami has beautiful beaches." Louisa said and Charlotte nodded.

"We never even went on a honeymoon." She said while looking at James. "It was a different time back then. But I'm glad we both found someone we love now. Things did turn out okay."

"Yeah. Although I still miss Jack. I don't think about him every day. But I think about him often. He would have been 18 now."

Charlotte nodded. "I know how you feel James. It's nice that your family accompanied you to his grave."

"We go every year. And the kids came ever since they were babies. I want them to know they had a big brother."

"We know dad." James jr. replied. "I just wish he would have stayed alive so we could have played together."

"I know honey." Louisa said, as she patted her son's shoulder.

"Why didn't I ever get another brother?" James jr. asked and his father laughed.

"You already have a big sister."

"I know. But she hates soccer."

"I do." Abby nodded in agreement. "But daddy always tells us that we should be happy with what we've got Jamie. You know that."

"True." The young boy sighed as he took a sip of the coke that was placed in front of him.

"Do you want children?" James asked Cooper.

"To be honest we found out that we're expecting last week." Cooper replied proudly, as he squeezed Charlotte's hand under the table.

"That's wonderful." James said as he congratulated the newlyweds. "A marriage and a baby. I'm really glad things worked out for you Charlotte."

"Right back at ya." She said, and then smiled, because James was right. A couple of months ago she wouldn't have thought things would turn out okay, but they did. She survived the accident and it actually made her a better person, and Cooper as well. And now they were married, and expecting a child, and life was better than she could have ever imagined.

**The end**


End file.
